China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) is starting a new 100,000-bpd crude unit this week at its Ningxia refinery in northern China, it said on its website www.cnpc.com.cn on Wednesday, in line with an earlier schedule.

China's total refining capacity in China, the world's second-largest oil consumer, stood at about 10 million barrels per day (bpd) at the end of 2010, exceeding total apparent oil demand of some 9 million bpd as calculated by Reuters based on official data.

China will likely add some 3.7 million bpd of new refining capacity -- an increase of more than a third -- between 2011 and 2015 in a refinery building boom to fuel its robust economic growth, industry officials and Chinese media have said.