TIANJIN -- Leading multinational energy company Total has invested 30 million euros for construction of a lubricant plant with a maximum annual capacity of 200,000 metric tons in northern China.

The company and local officials said Friday that the plant, located in the port city of Tianjin, is expected to start operation in early 2013 and will be one of Total's largest lubricant production units worldwide.

The plant will produce a variety of lubricants for automobiles, motorcycles, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and planes. Products will mainly be sold in China's north and west regions.

"China is one of Total's largest lubricant markets in the world. The new investment in Tianjin marks a strategic move to expand Total's lubricant manufacturing presence," the company's website quoted Jacques de Boisseson, general representative of Total in China, as saying.

Total, headquartered in Paris, France, is the fifth largest publicly-traded integrated international oil and gas company in the world and operates in over 130 countries and regions. It entered the Chinese market more than 30 years ago and has run more than 30 subsidiary companies in China.