EU sanctions against Russia include two Chinese refineries and the trader Chinaoil
The EU has added Chinaoil Hong Kong (a trading arm for PetroChina) and two Chinese refineries with a combined daily capacity of 600,000.00 barrels to its list of sanctions against Russia, according to the EU Official Journal published on Thursday. Liaoyang Petrochemical is one of the two refineries, and Shandong Yulong Petrochemical is another. Although the Chinese listings were not the first in the EU, they were the most important from an economic perspective. The EU, along with the Group of Seven nations is trying to drain Russia of its means to finance its war in Ukraine.
Sources say that Western pressure will affect Asian purchases of Russian oil in December.
U.S.-European pressure on Asian buyers could limit India's oil purchases from December. This would lead to cheaper supplies in China. However, Japan is unlikely to stop its Sakhalin LNG shipments at this time, according to trade sources and analysts. Washington has been exerting pressure through trade negotiations on China, India, and Japan to reduce their purchases Russian oil and LNG. Meanwhile, Britain just imposed sanctions against Chinese and Indian entities. The European Union may impose more sanctions. Western nations claim that Moscow uses its energy revenue to fund the Ukraine conflict.
US, UK Ramp Up Pressure on India to Stop Russian Oil Imports
Western powers have ramped up pressure on Russia's oil sales amid its war with Ukraine as U.S. President Donald Trump said India would stop buying and Britain imposed sanctions on top Russian oil firms.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is schedule to meet Trump in Washington on Friday to push for military and energy support at a time when Kyiv and Moscow are escalating the war with attacks on energy infrastructure.Indian officials are also in Washington for trade talks, with the U.S. having…
US Sanctions on Iranian Oil Target Sinopec
The latest U.S. sanctions on Iranian petroleum exports deal a blow to Chinese refining giant Sinopec by targeting a terminal through which the state major handles one-fifth of its crude oil imports, industry executives and analysts said.The sanctions announced on Thursday further complicate U.S.-China relations, coming ahead of planned talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping later this month.The move follows China's decision to tighten controls on rare earth exports and reflects Washington's continued efforts to restrict Iran’s oil trade with its largest customer.Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal Co.
US Imposes Sanctions on Oil Refineries and Purchases
The U.S. imposed sanctions on about 100 individuals, entities and vessels, including a Chinese independent refinery and terminal, that helped Iran's oil and petrochemicals trade, the administration of President Donald Trump said on Thursday.The Treasury Department sanctioned the Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, which it said is an independent teapot refinery in Shandong Province that has purchased millions of barrels of Iranian oil since 2023.It also sanctioned China-based Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal, which operates a terminal at Lanshan Port.
China renewable auction signals challenges for solar developers
Analysts said that the solar power prices at China's first province-level auction under its new renewable price mechanism are so low, they may discourage investors from launching new projects. The auction held in Shandong last week, which is seen as an indicator for future auctions nationwide, indicates that prices will be lower in the future than they were under the old system, although perhaps not as low as those in Shandong where solar investment drove prices down. The auction was part a reform…
China renewable auction signals challenges for solar developers
Analysts said that the solar power prices at China's first province-level auction under its new renewable price mechanism are so low, they may discourage investors from launching new projects. The auction held in Shandong last week, which is seen as an indicator for future auctions nationwide, indicates that prices will be lower in the future than they were under the old system, although perhaps not as low as those in Shandong where solar investment drove prices down. The auction was part a reform…
China's crude oil output in August is up 7.6% on a year-on-year basis
China's crude throughput in August increased 7.6% compared to a year ago, official data revealed on Monday. State-owned refineries also maintained high operating rates. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the world's second largest oil consumer processed approximately 14.94 million barrels of crude per day in August. The daily processing rate was the second highest over a period of 17 months, but it was 1.3% below the highest level in June 2025. From January to August, crude oil production was 488.07 metric tons or 14.7 millions bpd. This is a 3.2% increase compared to last year's same period.
China's oil throughput in July surges by 8.9% on an annual basis
China's crude throughput in July increased 8.9% compared to a year ago, according to official data released on Friday. State-owned refineries also maintained high operational rates. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the world's second largest oil consumer processed approximately 14.85 million barrels of crude per day in July. Calculations based on data show that the daily processing rate is down by 1.95% compared to June, when China’s oil throughput was at its highest since September 2023.
China's oil output surges in June as state-owned refining facilities ramp up their operations
China's crude throughput in June increased 8.5% compared to a year ago, official data revealed on Tuesday. State-owned refineries saw an increase in operations, and a return in profits, according consultancies. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the world's second largest oil consumer processed about 15,15 million barrels of crude per day in June. Calculations based on data show that the daily processing rate has increased by 8.8% since May, reaching the highest level seen since September 2023.
China's refinery output in May is at a 9-month low due to plant overhauls
Official data released on Monday showed that China's crude throughput fell by 1.8% from the previous year to its lowest level since August. This was due to maintenance being carried out at state-owned refineries and independent refineries. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the world's second largest oil consumer processed about 13,92 million barrels of crude per day in May. In May, the daily processing rate dropped from 14.12 million bpd in April. Chinese consultancies reported a continued decline in the utilization rates of domestic refineries.
China's refinery production in April fell by 1.4% on an annual basis
China's crude throughput in April fell from a year ago, according to official data released on Monday. This was due to maintenance carried out at state-owned refining plants and because independent plants reduced production amid low margins. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the world's second largest oil consumer processed about 14,12 million barrels of crude per day in April. The daily processing rate for April was lower by 4.9% than in March and 1.3% below the previous year.
VLCC Rates Spike as US Sanctions Bite
Supertanker freight rates jumped after the U.S. expanded sanctions on Russia's oil industry, sending traders rushing to book vessels to ship supply from other countries to China and India, shipbrokers and traders said.Chinese and Indian refiners are seeking alternative fuel supplies as they adapt to severe new U.S. sanctions on Russian producers and tankers designed to curb the world No. 2 oil exporter's revenue due to its war in Ukraine.Many of the newly-targeted vessels, part of a so-called shadow fleet that seeks to avoid Western restrictions…
Iranian Oil Prices to China Spike as Shipping Sanctions Bite
The price of Iranian crude oil sold to China has risen to the highest in years as fresh U.S. sanctions have tightened shipping capacity and driven up logistics costs, trade sources and analysts said.Rising prices for Iranian oil as well as Russian crude are raising costs for independent Chinese refiners that account for about a fifth of demand at the world's top crude importer, underscoring challenges ahead as the Trump administration is expected to ramp up pressure on Iran.Some of the refiners are switching to supplies not under sanction restrictions…
China's oil refinery production in November increased by 0.2% year/year
China's refinery output in November increased slightly compared to last year, ending a seven-month drop, according to official data released on Monday. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), according to its data, showed that refiners processed 58.51 millions metric tons of crude last month. This is equivalent to 14,24 million barrels of oil per day. It was online in late September, when the percentage of users had increased to 60-70%. The demand for refined products has improved since late last month. Some refiners have also received a boost in their operation rates.
China's coal production in October rose 4.6% on an annual basis
China's coal production rose by 4.6% from a month earlier in October, according to data released on Friday. The increase was due to the recovery of production from safety-related restrictions a year before. National Bureau of Statistics data showed that the world's biggest coal producer, China, mined 411.8 millions metric tons of coal last month. This was because the safety inspections that took place in September and Octobre 2023, which limited production, had a low baseline. The production in October was slightly lower than the 16-month record of 414.46 millions tons reached in September.
China's refinery output in September fell for the sixth consecutive month
China's refinery production fell 5.4% in January compared to a year ago, according to official data released on Friday. This is the sixth consecutive month of declines, despite the opening of a brand new plant, as low fuel consumption and thin refining margins slowed processing. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), according to its data, showed that refiners processed 58.73 millions metric tons of crude last month. This is equivalent to 14,29 million barrels of oil per day. As some refineries began to operate again after planned maintenance and a new refinery was opened in Shandong…
Sinopec reports east China's shale field pumps 1,600 tons of oil per day
Sinopec, the state oil group, announced on Wednesday that it is progressing with the development of shale oils at its Jiyang pilot project in east China. The company now pumps 1,600 tons per day, up from just 100 tons in 2020. Sinopec, at this rate, is on course to meet a 2022 target of producing 500,000 tons per year by 2025 in Jiyang. Jiyang is located mainly in Shandong Province and covers 7,300 square kilometers (1.8 million acres). China's oil companies have increased their efforts to extract shale deposits that are difficult to access to compensate for the rapidly depleting older conventional oilfields.
Iranian Oil Exports End 2022 at a High, Despite No Nuclear Deal
Iranian oil exports hit new highs in the last two months of 2022 and are making a strong start to 2023 despite U.S. sanctions, according to companies that track the flows, on higher shipments to China and Venezuela.Tehran's oil exports have been limited since former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 exited a 2015 nuclear accord and reimposed sanctions aimed at curbing oil exports and the associated revenue to Iran's government.Exports have risen during the term of his successor President Joe Biden, who had sought to revive the nuclear deal, and hit the highest since 2019 on some estimates.
China's Sinopec Finds Shale Oil at Shengli Field
A unit of state-run oil Chinese and gas major Sinopec Corp has found an initial 458 million tonnes (3.34 billion barrels) of geological shale oil reserves at its Shengli field, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.Shengli, in Shandong province, is one of China's largest conventional oil and gas fields but Sinopec, has been exploring the Jiyang trough at the deposit for unconventional resources in a bid to bolster production.In 2019, the company, which operates China's biggest shale gas project in Chongqing, agreed to study shale oil potential in the Dongying trough at Shengli with Royal Dutch Shell