PetroChina Suspends Production Following Quake

Chinese state oil company PetroChina has suspended oil flows through a major pipeline to check for damage following a powerful earthquake which hit the Sichuan province, southwest China, yesterday.

The 1,240km-long pipeline, which runs from Lanzhou, through Chengdu in Sichuan province to Chongqing city, has a capacity of 200,000 bpd.

A prolonged halt at the pipeline could also force production cuts, sources have told Reuters.

The Chinese Government has also ordered the shutdown of oil and gas wells together with other infrastructure.

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake, which hit on Monday afternoon, has so far killed 10,000 people while trapping many others, according to figures by state media.

By staff writer