Sinopec to boost refining capacity

BEIJING - China's largest refiner Sinopec Group is expected to process 10 percent more crude this year compared with 2009, in order to meet rising domestic demand, a company official said on Tuesday.

Sinopec's oil refining capacity has seen around 10 percent year-on-year growth in the past few years, said Chen Yaohuan, deputy director of the company's refining business. Sinopec processed 228 million tons of crude in 2009.

The company has built a cluster of oil refineries in the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta and the Bohai Sea Rim area. It now has 35 oil refineries, with an average production capacity of 6.85 million tons per year, said Chen.