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PetroChina's Jieyang refinery to get very first Venezuelan oil freight

PetroChina's Jieyang refinery will get its first direct crude oil freight from Venezuela this weekend, according to trade sources and shiptracking data on Kpler, after Washington temporarily lifted sanctions on the OPEC manufacturer.

The 2 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude onboard supertanker Elysia is due to get to Jieyang on March 24, Kpler data showed.

PetroChina did not immediately react to an ask for remark.

reported in November that mention oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) and PetroChina remained in talks for an unrefined supply deal during the six-month reprieve.

Washington in 2015 relaxed sanctions on Venezuela's oil market in return for pledges to open its governmental election to worldwide observers and permit the opposition to pick its prospect, which has not taken place.

If the U.S. does not renew next month the license given in October that lifted sanctions, PDVSA would probably go back to using intermediaries to offer its oil to purchasers such as China, likely at discounts.

Jieyang, a greenfield 400,000-bpd refinery and petrochemical complex in southern China Guangdong province, is the latest amongst PetroChina's refining centers.

The plant began trial runs in late 2022 and was designed to process heavy oil such as crude from Venezuela.

PetroChina dropped PDVSA as the partner for the Jieyang complex in 2019 after the United States imposed sanctions on PDVSA to weaken the rule of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.