Refining capacity to increase Share CLOSE Workers carry out tasks relating to construction of a refinery project at a petrochemical industry base in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. [Photo by Wang Jianmin/For China Daily] Shandong province leads the charge as utilization rates drop globally on COVID China's fuel refining capacity continues to rise, with the average utilization rate of China's independent refineries in Shandong province standing at around 70.4 percent in 2020, up by about 6 percentage points from 64.2 percent in 2019, despite the sluggish global refinery demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to S&P Global Platts, an energy industry news and data provider.