Sinopec to Supply Cleaner Fuel to Beijing

China's largest state refiner Sinopec Corp on Friday began supplying the Chinese capital with a new, lower-emission grade of petrol and diesel in line with efforts to combat smog that has plagued the country just a month into the winter.

Beijing will be the first city in China to adopt Sinopec's new fuel standard - known as 'Beijing Six' - with the country as a whole set to roll out a grade dubbed 'National Five', similar to Europe's 'Euro V' grade fuel, for petrol and diesel from Jan 1.

In a statement Sinopec said between Friday and mid-February it plans to equip all of its 562 petrol stations in Beijing to supply Beijing Six fuel. The refiner didn't say how much the project will cost.

While National Five caps sulphur content at 10 parts per million, Beijing Six fuel also has a lower emission of nitrogen oxides and olefins, among other specifications.

Sinopec said three of its refineries - Cangzhou, Yanshan and Qilu - will be the main producers of the new grade. The Yanshan plant, located in suburban Beijing, supplies 75 percent of all the petrol required for Sinopec's filling stations in Beijing.

Reporting by Chen Aizhu