SINGAPORE, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Asia's naphtha spot buying interest for March gained momentum on Wednesday, with a handful of regional importers seeking for regular requirements amid margins for integrated petrochemical facilities.

Naphtha refining margins NAF-SIN-CRK eased slightly to around $85 per metric ton.

While squeezed margins for ethylene and propylene production were prevalent, firm spreads on overall other derivatives down the production chain and aromatics were supportive, regional trade sources say.

Integrated petrochemical facilities should still have the room to take in naphtha feedstock as margins for further downstream products are improving slightly, they added.

On the tenders front, Taiwan's CPC Corp sought 35,000 tons of March arrival heavy naphtha, while FPCC closed a discussion for 75,000 tons of first-half March arrival open-spec naphtha.

Southeast Asia's Lotte Chemical Indonesia was seeking up to 50,000 tons of first-half March arrival cargoes, with Siam Cement Group looking at one open-spec naphtha cargo for first-half March delivery.

Meanwhile, for gasoline, refining margins GL92-SIN-CRK declined further to $4.8 a barrel - around one-year low levels.

China-origin export barrels are expected to be minimal for February loading, with some trader estimates at up to 300,000 tons so far.

Traders were also looking for a direction on regional buying activities especially from Indonesia ahead of the Ramadhan season starting in a few weeks time.

REFINERY NEWS REF/OUT

- Valero Energy Corp VLO.N was restarting the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker (FCCU 1241) at its 380,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on Tuesday, said people familiar with plant operations.

- The large coker at Motiva Enterprises' 640,500 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, malfunctioned on Monday night, according to a notice filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

NEWS

- Kazakhstan said on Wednesday that it was restarting the vast Tengiz oil field in stages and it would try to reach full production within a week after three transformers burned down losing the republic at least 7.2 million barrels of output.

- U.S. officials are working to issue a general license soon that would lift some sanctions on Venezuela's energy sector, three sources close to the preparation said on Tuesday, a shift from a previous plan to grant individual exemptions to sanctions for companies seeking to do business in the country.

SINGAPORE CASH DEALS O/AS

- No deal for gasoline and naphtha

PRICES

(Reporting by Trixie Yap; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

((trixie.yap@thomsonreuters.com;))