皇冠体育app

Economy

Markets

Industries

Insights

Reports

Events

Quake damage to Petro皇冠体育app 'not fundamental'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-16 09:41

The earthquake damaged many Petro皇冠体育app installations in the quake region but did not cause fundamental damage to operations, said company president Jiang Jiemin on Thursday.

Jiang said production at a natural gas well with a capacity of 6 million cubic meters per day was halted, but it is now producing 2 million cubic meters per day.

Jiang said 728 Petro皇冠体育app gas stations were partly damaged during the earthquake, and 78 of them stopped operation.

Out of 76 Petro皇冠体育app drilling rigs in the quake region, only 16 are still in operation.

No death of 皇冠体育app National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) employees has been reported so far, but 56 were injured and six are still missing.

The earthquake has thrown some uncertainty to Petro皇冠体育app's planning refinery in Pengzhou city of Sichuan, said Jiang Jiemin.

According to the president, a group of professionals has been organized to make further study on the feasibility of the project.

"We will make sure that the project is safe and environmentally-friendly enough before making final decision," said Jiang.

The refinery, with a planned oil refining capacity of 10 million tons and ethylene production capacity of 800 thousand tons, is planned to be one of the largest oil refining projects in 皇冠体育app.

Pipeline transmitting refined oil products from Lanzhou to Chengdu and Chongqing cities, both in the earthquake-hit region, has been restored to 600 cubic meters per hour.

Petro皇冠体育app is taking measures to restore the capacity to the normal level of 850 cubic meters per hour, said Jiang.

A press release from 皇冠体育app National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the parent company of Petro皇冠体育app, said Thursday that a refinery of Petro皇冠体育app in Nanchong city of Sichuan, restarted production in early morning on Thursday. Operation of the refinery was halted on Monday when the huge earthquake broke out.

The crude oil pipeline from Urumqi, capital of northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, is in normal operation, said Jiang.

Jiang said Petro皇冠体育app, the listed subsidiary of CNPC, has full ability to ensure oil supply in the second quarter, despite transportation difficulties and growing demand caused by the earthquake.

Wen Mingyou, vice general manager and spokesman of Petro皇冠体育app's Sichuan branch echoed Jiang's view, saying the company has launched an emergency response plan, and will make all-out efforts to ensure oil supply in quake-hit areas.

Petro皇冠体育app is to send 100,000 tonnes of oil products to Sichuan Province via railway, road and waterway after the earthquake.

Petro皇冠体育app imported 1.5 million tonnes of diesel and gasoline in the first quarter and is expected to import another 1.5 million tonnes in the second quarter, said Jiang.

Wen said Petro皇冠体育app would make sure oil supply in quake-hit areas a top-priority for the Sichuan branch, adding that the situation that cars waiting to be filled at gas stations in some areas will be eased in the near future.

"Queuing for gas is caused by people's psychological panic, but not oil shortages," said Wen.