Sinopec to expand capacity at 5 refineries

China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) plans to expand the capacity of five refineries along the Yangtze River, including the Anqing refinery in Anhui Province, the Changling refinery and the Baling refinery in Hunan Province, and the Jinmen refinery and Wuhan Refinery in Hubei Province. The Anqing refinery has started expanding its capacity from 5.5 million tons to 8 million tons per year at a cost of RMB10 billion (US$1.3 billion). The capacity of the Jinmen refinery will be expanded from 5.5 million tons to 6 million tons per year. Further details regarding the Jinmen refinery have not been disclosed. Details regarding the expansion of the three other refineries are still not clear. (June 6, 2007)