PetroChina's refineries are estimated to process 11.4-11.5-mil mt of crude in July, with daily throughput up 2.8% from this year's lowest level in June to about 370,000mt, C1's research showed.
The rise is because some of PetroChina's refineries in Northeast China and Northwest China have completed maintenance and resumed normal production this month. Dalian Petrochemical, Jilin Petrochemical and Urumchi Petrochemical have brought altogether 21.50-mil mt of annual refining capacity back on stream.
The growth will be softened by some other refineries' throughput cuts amid maintenance. Jinxi Petrochemical is still conducting maintenance of a 3-mil-mt/yr crude distillate unit and some secondary units, and Harbin Petrochemical is estimated to slash daily throughput by 33.26% because of maintenance of some secondary units.
Most of the other refineries under PetroChina are likely to keep crude throughput stable or trim it slightly this month.
PetroChina is expected to increase crude throughput further in August as its refinery maintenance will be largely over then.
PetroChina's refineries involved in C1's research have a combined crude processing capacity of 174-mil mt per year.
