Oil
Aramco-backed Chinese refinery receives first crude cargo
The mega refining complex in Liaoning Province has taken its initial shipment of Arabian crude ahead of planned operations.
Key points
- Saudi Aramco and local partners received the first crude shipment at their new Liaoning facility.
- The joint venture, known as HAPCO, features a 300,000-barrel-a-day refinery capacity.
- Commercial operations are projected to begin in the first quarter of next year, according to Energy Aspects.
First crude delivery
Saudi Aramco and its domestic partners have taken delivery of the initial crude oil cargo for their newly built refining and petrochemical facility in northeast China's Liaoning Province. Rigzone reported that the delivery arrived late last week, bringing the multi-billion-dollar installation closer to active production.
While an official start date was not disclosed in the company statement, energy consultancy Energy Aspects anticipates commercial operations will commence during the first quarter of next year. The facility is managed by HAPCO, a joint venture involving Aramco alongside North Huajin Chemical Industries Group Corp and Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group Co.
Project scale and context
According to project specifications, the complex houses a refinery designed to process 300,000 barrels per day. It also incorporates petrochemical units intended to produce 1.65 million metric tons of ethylene and 2 million metric tons of paraxylene annually.
The initial delivery, transported by the tanker Kassab from Juaymah port in Saudi Arabia, arrives as China navigates broader oil market pressures. Authorities in the country have implemented measures such as lowering crude imports, utilising stockpiles, and pausing fuel exports to manage market volatility linked to the ongoing US-Iran conflict.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Crude benchmarks move budgets, currencies and inflation in producer and importer countries alike. For economies such as Nigeria, where fuels dominate exports, production and refining decisions move the whole economy.
1.4% of China’s merchandise exports were fuels in 2025Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
