PetroChina Dalian Wepec resumed bitumen production on Mar 8 in order to balance downstream product structure, said a source with the refinery.
With Saudi crude as major feedstock, the refinery will produce 15,000mt of No.140 petroleum bitumen for road in both March and April, revealed the refinery source. It has no plan for production of heavy-duty paving bitumen, restricted by the property of the feedstock and technique.
The limited output will not ease the supply shortage, mainly heavy-duty paving bitumen, in the north and northeast regions, the refinery sources reckoned.
It's the first time since the second half of 2007 that the refinery restores continuing bitumen production. In the third quarter of 2009, it had yielded bitumen for less than three days.
Dalian Wepec, jointly invested by Sinochem, Total, and PetroChina, can process 10-mil-mt/yr crude. It mainly eat imported crude.
