(Repeats story first carried on Wednesday.)
By Chen Aizhu
SINGAPORE, March 29 (Reuters) - PetroChina's net profit jumped 62.1% to a record high last year as
stronger energy prices more than offset weak demand for fuel and
chemicals, China's largest oil and gas producer said on
Wednesday.
PetroChina's net profit amounted to 149.38 billion yuan
($21.69 billion) last year, while revenue rose 24% to 3,239
billion yuan, the firm said in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange.
The state energy giant produced 2.1% more crude oil last
year at 906.2 million barrels, and natural gas output rose 5.8%
to 4,675 billion cubic feet (bcf).
Refinery crude throughput, however, dipped 1% last year to
1,213 million barrels, or 3.32 million barrels per day, as
Chinese consumption of gasoline and aviation fuel took a hard
hit from Beijing's COVID-19 control measures.
PetroChina recorded a 6.5% drop in domestic sales of
gasoline, diesel and kerosene combined.
"For 2023, the global economy is expected to continue to
recover but at a slower pace and there are still many unstable
and uncertain factors," PetroChina said.
Anticipating fuel demand recovery at home, the group aims to
raise crude throughput to 1,293 million barrels this year, 6.6%
above 2022.
PetroChina aims to produce 912.9 million barrels of crude
oil and 4,888.9 bcf of natural gas this year, up 0.8% and 4.6%
respectively from last year's levels.
Capital spending is planned at 243.5 billion yuan for 2023,
versus the 274 billion yuan spent last year, which was 13%
higher than an earlier plan.
On new energy, PetroChina has been focusing on wind and
solar power, with total capacity of new energy developed and
utilized amounting to 8 million tonnes of standard coal every
year, it said.
PetroChina aims to bring its carbon emissions to a peak by
around 2025 and reach near zero emissions by 2050, ahead of
China's national target of peaking carbon by 2030 and achieving
carbon neutrality by 2060.
($1=6.8860 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Chen Aizhu
Editing by Mark Potter)
aizhu.chen.reuters.com@reuters.net))
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