Sinopec to upgrade lubricant base

China’s Sinopec will expand the production capacity of its Chongqing lubricant production base to 300,000 tons per year (tpy), the Chongqing Economy and Information Commission (CEIC) said. The base is expected to expand Sinopec’s market share in southwestern China including Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces. Construction of the project will start within 2009. According to official data, the Sichuan and Chongqing regions consume about 300,000 tpy of lubricant, but Sinopec only manages a 20% market share with the rest being taken by foreign companies such as ExxonMobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell P.L.C. and BP P.L.C. (April 9, 2009)