China restarts small Sichuan refinery after quake

BEIJING, May 16 (Reuters) - Chinese oil producer PetroChina (0857.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has restarted its small Nanchong refinery, the only oil plant in quake-hit Sichuan province, after it was shut for more than 50 hours, its parent company said on Friday.

PetroChina, the dominate fuel supplier in China's southwest, shut the refinery in Nanchong, east of Chengdu, shortly after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan on Monday afternoon, CNPC said on its website (news.cnpc.com.n).

There was no oil or gas leak, nor any casualties, it said.

PetroChina reopened the main crude distillate unit on Wednesday and aimed to fullly resume operations soon at the 3,800-tonnes-per-day (27,700 barrels) plant, the report said.

PetroChina President Jiang Jiemin told reporters on Thursday that Sichuan's oil stocks were running short.

A main oil pipeline that pumps oil from northwest China to Sichuan was operating under capacity after a one-day halt and damaged rail lines had hampered fuel delivery.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)

(aizhu.chen@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: aizhu.chen.reuters.com@reuters.net; +8610 6627 1211)