Taiwan used 865,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil products in July, up 5.8 percent from a year earlier on a rise in petrochemical and fuel demand, data showed, reversing five straight months of decline.

Consumption of olefin petrochemical products including butane, ethylene and propylene, rose 4.1 per cent from last year to 133,000 bpd, data on the Bureau of Energy's Web site showed (www.moeaboe.gov.tw).
The start of Formosa Petrochemical's massive 1.2 million tonnes per year (tpy) naphtha cracker in May has helped to boost output of ethylene, while lifting demand for its naphtha feedstock.
Imports of naphtha jumped 68 per cent to 1.59 million kilolitres in July, due to the start of a new cracker and as petrochemical firms boosted domestic stocks, data showed.
Gasoline demand rose by 3.3 per cent to 165,000 bpd, while diesel demand rose 4.2 percent to 111,000 bpd.
Consumption of fuel oil, mostly used in power generation, rose 5.2 per cent to 190,000 bpd, reversing a falling trend this year. Demand tumbled 13.2 per cent in the seven months to July.
Higher average temperatures across Taiwan in July compared with the same month last year caused an increase in air conditioner usage, forcing the island's electricity stations to boost power output by 6.21 percent, the data showed.
Taiwan's reserves, including finished products and crude, stood at 9.6 million kl of oil equivalent in July, energy bureau data showed, down 4.9 per cent from the previous month, as refiners cut imports and drew down inventories.
Crude imports in July dropped 18.9 percent from the previous month to 931,000 bpd, also representing a 1.5 percent drop from the same time last year, the bureau said.
Throughput at the island's refineries rose 3.7 per cent over July last year to 1.01 million bpd, the bureau said, as utilisation rates at the refineries of Formosa and government-run CPC Corp, Taiwan edged up to 85.55 per cent against 85.33 per cent in June.