Beijing wants refinery count

China has ordered state-owned oil companies to disclose the number of small and medium-sized refineries they have dotted around the country.

The move is part of an overhaul of the country's sprawling refining sector.

The National Development and Reform Commission wants to know by September 20 the number of refineries in the mainland with an annual capacity of less than five million tonnes or 100,000 barrels a day, and what fuels they produce.

The survey will cover refineries, asphalt plants, lubricant plants and other petrochemical units. The restructuring is aimed at improve fuel quality, the economic planning agency said.

Many small refineries - known as "teapots" - have been denied access to crude oil in an earlier effort by Beijing to drive them out of business.

But the government has avoided a full crackdown for fear it would trigger fuel shortages and social unrest in communities that rely on such plants for employment.

Teapots also provide revenue for local governments, and this has led to allegations of protectionism from officials in Beijing, who say local officials are hampering its efforts to meet pollution and energy consumption targets.