China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. has diverted gasoline and diesel supplies from southern and coastal regions to quake-hit Sichuan province and lifted rationing on fuel sales as the recovery effort boosts demand.

Sinopec, as the nation's biggest oil refiner is known, has cut back on supplies to Hunan, Hubei and Guangdong, giving priority to quake-hit areas, parent China Petrochemical Corp. said in its company newsletter Sinopecnews . Sinopec has so far sent 63,500 metric tons of emergency fuel supplies to Sichuan and Chongqing.

Diverting fuel from Guangdong, the nation's largest energy consuming market, may worsen fuel shortages in the nation's manufacturing hub, which accounts for a third of its total exports. ... Read full article