Guangdong’s crude oil processing volume exceeds 20 million tons

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In the oil refining sector, the outstanding performance of the two atmospheric and vacuum distillation units at Guangdong Refining & Chemical brought the year’s production activities to a successful conclusion. As of 6:00 on December 31, 2025, the company’s annual crude oil processing volume exceeded 20 million tons. Since its commissioning three years ago, the atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit of Refinery Unit 1 has processed a total of 46 different types of crude oil sourced from 17 countries, with the overall processing volume exceeding 56 million tons. This has provided strong support for the implementation of the group company’s strategic plans for the southern region during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. It has also contributed to ensuring energy security and promoting economic development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Moreover, its high-quality production performance has laid a solid foundation for building a world-class refining and petrochemical enterprise. Facing the processing challenges posed by low-quality crude oils with high sulfur, nitrogen, residual carbon, and acid value levels, and especially with the continuous increase in plant load since the fourth quarter, the two atmospheric and vacuum distillation units have maintained safe and stable operation at high loads, with the maximum processing load remaining above 105% for an extended period. Under the overall leadership of the departmental Party committee, all employees strengthened their sense of responsibility, continuously optimized operational procedures, and fine-tuned quality parameters, thereby effectively overcoming various challenges such as high temperatures during summer production, elevated pressure levels, and overloading of the vacuum furnaces. Through flexible production scheduling and continuous inspections by all staff, as well as the implementation of specialized initiatives such as \"Finding hidden dangers is like finding gold\" and \"Detecting unusual odors is also like finding gold\", a robust safety and environmental protection framework for the facility has been established. While striving for higher production volumes, the company places greater emphasis on product quality and structural optimization. Focusing on the \"reduce oil content and enhance product quality\" strategy, the technical team of Refining Unit 1 has taken a series of measures, including optimizing the reduced-vacuum system, applying reduced-pressure deep distillation techniques, strictly controlling the outlet temperature of the reduced-pressure furnace, and finely adjusting the operations of the side streams in the atmospheric tower and reduced-pressure towers. These efforts have enabled continuous improvements in the dry point of naphtha as well as the quality and yield of key fractions such as those from Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3 under reduced pressure. As a result, high-quality raw materials are provided for downstream aromatic and ethylene production units, thereby achieving synergistic benefits through integrated refining and chemical processing. Furthermore, through continuous technological upgrades, the company’s asphalt processing capacity has doubled compared to the design level, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of its products; this has enabled it to initially achieve the transformation goal of focusing on bulk materials while producing high-quality products. Zhao Rui, manager of Refining Unit 1, said, “Since the beginning of this year, we have carried out various technical efforts and process optimizations aimed at ensuring the long-term operation of the facilities and improving product quality, thereby successfully managing the production fluctuations caused by frequent changes in crude oil sources.” We always regard production challenges as a ‘whetstone’—using them to temper our team and enhance our capabilities in the process of overcoming difficulties. ”Next, Refining Department 1 will continue to drive technological and managerial innovation in order to make greater contributions to ensuring **energy security and supporting the high-quality development of the regional economy. In 2025, the three main production units of Guangdong Petrochemical achieved new record levels of output, coming at a crucial historical moment when the 14th Five-Year Plan came to an end and the 15th Five-Year Plan was about to begin. This achievement not only reflects the company’s comprehensive capabilities in areas such as the processing of complex raw materials, the operation of large-scale domestically produced equipment, the production of high-end chemical products, as well as technological innovation and talent development, but it also lays a solid foundation for China’s petrochemical industry to achieve a high level of scientific and technological self-reliance and strength in the new era and on the new journey, thereby facilitating the optimization and upgrading of its industrial chains.