Source: CCTV.com

11-18-2008 11:20

Work on the West-East Gas Pipeline Project is picking up steam. Construction on the eastern part of the second pipeline will kick off in the second half of December. Investment, both direct and indirect, is predicted to hit half a trillion yuan.

China National Petroleum and Corporation is busy with preparations for the eastern section of the second line of the West-East Gas Pipeline Project.
China National Petroleum and Corporation is busy with preparations
for the eastern section of the second line of the West-East Gas 
Pipeline Project.

China National Petroleum and Corporation is busy with preparations for the eastern section of the second line of the West-East Gas Pipeline Project. A 20-day bidding period starts next week, and the launch ceremony will be held in the middle of next month.

Wu Hong, Deputy GM of Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of CNPC said "Direct investment in the project is 140 billion yuan, but it will drive an additional 400 billion yuan in investment in related sectors."

The second pipeline starts in Turkmenistan and enters China through the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Then it winds its way through 14 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions to end in the Hong Kong SAR.

The domestic portion of the pipeline runs 4,945 kilometers in length. At over 10 thousand kilometers long, the entire pipeline will be the longest natural gas pipeline in the world. Its transfer capacity is to reach 30 billion cubic meters, twice that of the first line of the West-East Gas Pipeline Project.

This is just one part of China's effort to construct its natural gas pipeline network. By 2010, the length of China's pipeline network is expected to reach 50 thousand kilometers, with more than 10 major routes across the country.

Wu Hong said "We will construct more than 30 thousand kilometers of natural gas pipeline in the next few years according to our plan. It is likely that we will complete our goal ahead of time."

Industry insiders say starting in 2010, at least 70 percent of Chinese cities will be able to use natural gas, a clean energy. This will result in the reduction of 130 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 140 tons of sulfur dioxide annually.

 

Editor:Xiong Qu