Sinopec Guangzhou repairs to cut 33 pct crude run
BEIJING, May 5 (Reuters) - Sinopec Corp's (0386.HK) (600028.SS) Guangzhou refinery will process 33 percent less crude in May from April because of major maintenance work, an industry source said on Tuesday.
The plant started a turnaround at a 160,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) unit late last month, which almost halved the Guangzhou refinery's output in May from its full level, said a source familiar with the plant's operations.
In early April, the plant said it would carry out major maintenance for 45-days.
"The overhaul is expected to be completed at the end of the month," the source said.
The 270,000 bpd plant, in Guangzhou province in southern China, plans to process 600,000 tonnes (141,300 bpd) of crude in May, compared with 219,000 bpd in April, the source said.
China's fuel stocks fell sharply in April as oil companies boosted sales at home and overseas, data from a Xinhua newsletter showed on Monday.
Diesel inventories held by state refiners CNPC and Sinopec fell 16 percent at the end of March to 45.2 million barrels from a month earlier, while gasoline drew down by 20 percent to 25 million barrels, China OGP, a newsletter from Xinhua, said. (Reporting by Eadie Chen and Chen Aizhu; Editing by Chris Lewis) (eadie.chen@reuters.com; +8610 6627 1268; Reuters Messaging: eadie.chen.reuters.com@reuters.net))
