頁岩氣繁榮讓美能源企業獲得中國商機

Cheap natural gas flowing from the U.S. shale boom has created new opportunities for U.S. energy companies to market fuels to China.

美國頁岩氣繁榮所帶來的廉價天然氣爲美國能源企業向中國出售燃料創造了新的機會。

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., the country's largest oil refiner, said Friday that it signed a long-term contract to buy liquefied petroleum gas, or propane, from Phillips 66, a U.S. refiner that spun off from ConocoPhillips. China's state oil giant, known as Sinopec, didn't disclose the length, volume or value of the deal.

中國最大的煉油企業中國石油化工股份有限公司(China Petroleum & Chemical Co., SNP, 簡稱：中國石化)週五表示，已與美國Phillips 66簽署了液化石油氣（也稱丙烷）長期購銷合同。Phillips 66是從康菲石油公司(ConocoPhillips, COP)分拆出來的煉油公司。中國石化並未披露合同期限、購買量和金額。

'There has been a substantial increase in propane supply due to the rapid development of shale gas in the U.S.,' Sinopec said, adding that the deal will help diversify its sources of propane, a cheap byproduct of oil refining and natural-gas extraction.

中國石化表示，隨着美國頁岩氣的迅猛發展，丙烷供應量大幅增加。該公司還稱，此次合作將幫助公司多元化丙烷供應渠道。丙烷是原油處理和天然氣開採過程中產生的一種廉價副產品。

Sinopec's latest deal comes as more Chinese petrochemical companies begin sourcing propane from the U.S. to feed a wave of new chemical plants that can turn propane into more valuable propene, a building block for chemicals used in consumer products like paint, carpets and detergents.

中國石化簽署上述購銷合同之際，正值越來越多的中國石化企業開始從美國進口丙烷，來爲一批新的化工廠提供原料。這些化工廠能將丙烷轉化爲價格更高的丙烯。丙烯是一種化工原料，用於生產油漆、地毯和清潔劑等消費產品。

Although Chinese companies can make their own propane, the process is more expensive because of the tighter supplies of crude oil and natural gas in China. U.S. propane prices have traditionally been too high to justify shipments to China, analysts say. However, the boom in U.S. natural-gas production resulting from shale-rock drilling technology has sent U.S. natural-gas prices tumbling to their lowest levels in years. Sinopec said the price of propane in the U.S. is 'more competitive' than in other markets because of rising supplies of U.S. shale gas and as propane produced from natural gas is of higher purity than propane produced from refining.

雖然中國企業自身也能生產丙烷，但由於中國原油和天然氣供應較緊張，自己生產丙烷的成本更高。分析師們表示，過去由於美國丙烷的價格過高，因而從美國進口丙烷並不划算。不過，頁岩鑽井技術帶來的美國天然氣產量激增使該國天然氣價格降至數年來的最低水平。中國石化表示，由於美國頁岩氣供應量增加，美國丙烷相對國際其他市場上的丙烷產品具有價格優勢，且來自天然氣分離裝置的丙烷較煉廠丙烷純度更高。

China imported U.S. propane for the first time in May, and shipped in a total of 111,000 metric tons from the U.S. last year, according to Chinese customs data. China imported another 74,000 tons of propane from the U.S. in January, the data shows.

中國海關數據顯示，中國在去年5月份首次從美國進口丙烷，去年總計從美國進口了111,000噸丙烷。數據還顯示，今年1月份，中國從美國進口了74,000噸丙烷。

China's first propane-to-propene plant came online in October, according to Li Li, director of industry research at consultancy ICIS C1 Energy. Five more plants are expected to be completed in 2014 with the combined capacity to process 3.45 million tons of propane a year, she said.

安迅思息旺能源(ICIS C1 Energy)的工業研究總監李莉表示，中國的首個丙烷制丙烯廠在去年10月份投產，還有五個工廠預計將在今年竣工，這些工廠的年處理能力合起來爲345萬噸。