China says first-quarter crude, gas output up slightly

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BEIJING, April 30 (UPI) -- China's first-quarter crude oil and natural gas output rose slightly from the same quarter of last year, its main economic planner reported.

The report from the National Development and Reform Commission said first quarter crude production rose 2.3 percent to 51.2 million metric tons (56.4 million tons).

First-quarter natural gas output rose 6.2 percent to 30.6 billion cubic meters, the commission said.

During the first quarter, 109.48 million metric tons (120.6 million tons) of crude oil were refined, up 4.4 percent year-on-year, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, quoting the commission.

Earlier this month, New York's Platts, an energy and metal information provider, reported China's apparent oil demand in March increased 1.9 percent year-on-year to a daily average of 9.77 million barrels, or 41.31 million metric tons (45.5 million tons). March oil demand was down 4.2 percent from February.

For the first quarter, China's apparent oil demand averaged 10.15 million barrels a day, up 3.5 percent year-on-year, but down from 10.28 million barrels a day in the last quarter of last year, an indication of the country's slower economic growth.

China's economy grew 7.7 percent in the first quarter compared with a growth of 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter of last year.