China’s Sinopec to Slash Refinery Rates amid Crude Supply Shock

The top Asian refiner, China’s state-controlled Sinopec, plans to slash this month its refinery processing rates by 11-13% as crude supply is choked by the Middle East war, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting sources with knowledge of the refining giant’s operations. Sinopec, whose refineries account for a third of all Chinese throughput, plans to lower its crude runs by between 600,000 and 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March, from initial plans to process 5.2 million bpd. The loss in refinery throughput does not include regular…