值中法建交60周年之际，在国家主席习近平对法国进行国事访问期间，中国日报《高访专刊》以中英双语整版图文报道的形式，介绍了中国石油欧洲油气贸易运营中心实施绿色低碳转型、依托在法合资炼厂推进中法能源合作的积极成果。报道刊发后受到当地民众广泛关注。现将报道全文转载如下。
5月6日中国日报高访专刊版面图
1993年以来，中国石油积极实施国际化经营战略，在全球有效布局五大油气合作区，成功构筑跨越中国西北、东北、西南和东部海上的四大油气进口通道，逐步建成亚洲、欧洲和美洲三大油气贸易运营中心，稳步向世界一流综合性国际能源公司迈进。
中国石油国际事业（伦敦）公司（以下简称伦敦公司）2011年参股收购英力士集团炼油及销售业务，分别成立了炼油合资公司和贸易合资公司，炼油合资公司拥有法国拉瓦莱炼厂和英国格兰杰莫斯炼厂（原油加工能力共1800万吨/年）。贸易合资公司与伦敦公司合并办公，已建设成为欧非地区唯一集贸易、加工、仓储、运输于一体且油气电碳新能源并举的中资能源企业，并成长为中国石油欧洲油气贸易运营中心。
英力士集团和中国石油强化互学互鉴，组织双方炼厂实现了多次互访，深入交流了炼厂生产、技术及设备运营维修和管理的经验，联合会诊技术难题。经中外员工十几年的不懈努力，拉瓦莱炼厂的竞争力不断增强，在法国东南部市场份额逐步增至30%以上。根据法国石油专业委员会（CPDP）数据， 2013-2021年期间，拉瓦莱炼厂成品油总产量在法国排名第一。
中国石油积极践行绿色、低碳、可持续的发展理念，支持拉瓦莱炼厂2022年启动促进高质量发展的“晴空项目”（Blue Sky），通过对现有装置进行节能和低碳方面的改扩建及绿色能源投资，实施有序绿色低碳转型，积极适应欧洲低碳发展趋势，全面降低炼厂碳排放。
在中法合作持续深入，和合共融的良好背景下，面对新形势、新任务，拉瓦莱炼厂将提高核心竞争力、增强核心功能，在绿色低碳转型中先行先试，助力中国石油贸易和炼化业务高质量发展，朝着建成南法一流综合能源供应商稳步迈进，为加强中法能源合作贡献中国石油力量！
01
Refinery leads the way in Sino-French energy cooperation
PetroChina’s joint venture at Lavéra results in global rewards
On France’s Mediterranean coast about 30 miles west of Marseille stands Lavéra Refinery – the largest refinery in the South of France and one of the largest in southern Europe, capable of processing 210,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
With access to all logistic options, including pipelines, sea, river, road and rail, a full range of refined oil products including LPG, gasoline, gasoil, and diesel is produced and transported from Lavéra to Europe and beyond.
The refinery and energy trading platform are operated by Petroineos, a joint venture between PetroChina International (London) Co., Ltd. (PCIL) Group and INEOS Group, which epitomizes the international vision and continuous efforts of PetroChina Company Limited (PetroChina).
After three decades of developing its international business, PetroChina has established five main cooperation zones, while also creating four major oil and gas import channels to the Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and East of China.
PetroChina has also established three major overseas oil and gas trading and operation centers in Asia, Europe, and North America, steadily advancing toward becoming a world leader in the energy sector.
The China story of the Lavéra Refinery started in 2011, when PCII, a subsidiary of PetroChina, formed the Petroineos joint venture with INEOS Group. The Lavéra refinery, with an annual capacity of processing more than 10 million metric tons of crude oil, is a major part of the joint venture cooperation.
The energy trading company of the joint venture is operated in London together with PCIL. They are responsible for establishing an oil and gas operation center in Europe focusing on European and African natural resources and markets
To this day, the joint venture, along with its London parent company, is the only Chinese energy enterprise in Europe and Africa to have a trading business in all the energy portfolios, spanning across crude oil, refined product, gas, petrochemicals, electricity, carbon, and renewables. Its trading volume has reached over 170 million tons in 2023.
Thanks to the unremitting efforts of Chinese and local employees for more than a decade and the continuous investment of shareholders, the refinery has optimized production processes, improved logistics facilities, smoothed coordination between production, sales, and trade, and raised morale.
The benefits to the refinery from PetroChina"s investment have been significant. Data from CPDP, comité professionnel du pétrole (France’s professional committee of petrol), shows that from 2013 to 2021, Lavéra Refinery ranked among the top in France in terms of refined oil production.
With vigorous operational management, Lavéra Refinery has continuously reduced costs, boosted efficiency, and steadily upgraded facilities, which brought a significant increase in profitability. The market share of the refinery now reaches more than 30% in southeast France.
In 2022, the refinery proposed its future strategic development and transformation project (i.e. project "Blue Sky"), which aims to adapt itself to the trend of low-carbon sustainable development in Europe.
While maintaining stable development of its refining business, the refinery will actively reduce carbon emissions through the upgrade of existing conventional oil processing units and the construction of production facilities for green energies, such as green hydrogen.
In the process of promoting the green transformation, its Chinese shareholder fully promotes the application of PetroChina"s proprietary technologies at Lavéra Refinery, as well as supports the refinery in applying for various subsidies from the European Union and the French government for green projects.
In the context of deepening Sino-French cooperation and integration, Lavéra Refinery will enhance its core competitiveness, strengthen its core functions, and actively participate in green and low-carbon transformation. It will support the high-quality development of PetroChina"s trading, refining and chemical businesses, steadily advance toward becoming a first-class comprehensive energy supplier in southern France and contribute to Sino-French cooperation in the energy sector.
