Aramco JV Refinery in China Receives First Arabian Crude Cargo

The first Arabian crude cargo has arrived at a joint venture refinery and petrochemical complex in Panjin, Liaoning province, China, marking a production-preparation milestone for a project with a planned refinery capacity of 300,000 barrels a day.

The joint venture, Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company, is owned by Aramco, NORINCO Group and Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group. The 300,000-barrel daily capacity refers to the planned refinery.

An adjacent chemical plant is designed to produce 1.65 million metric tons of ethylene and 2 million metric tons of paraxylene annually.

In 2023, Aramco planned to supply the complex with up to 210,000 barrels of crude a day and then expected the project to be fully operational by 2026. The arrival of the first cargo marks progress toward production preparation.