China to Expand Gas Kazakhstan Pipeline Network

China has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan to expand the capacity of a pipeline network delivering natural gas from Central Asia by more than 80%.

China National Petroleum Corp. said in a newsletter that both countries agreed to build the 1,305-kilometer Kazakh section of pipeline "C" that will originate from Turkmenistan and cut through Uzbekistan. The link will flank two existing pipelines running through the three Central Asian nations.

CNPC said that the capacity of pipeline "C" will rise to 25 billion cubic meters a year by December 2015, which will boost the network's capacity to 55 billion cubic meters.

Construction is expected to begin early next year and the pipeline will be operational by January 2014 with an initial capacity of 15 billion cubic meters a year, according to CNPC.

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