China's West-East Pipe Hits Milestone
China’s West-East Gas Pipeline, operated by state-run PetroChina, has transported close to 500bn m3 of natural gas since it became operational 18 years ago, PetroChina’s parent firm CNPC said August 22.
The pipeline originates from Tarim gas field in Xinjiang in the western China, and runs through Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and ends at Baihe Town of Shanghai in the east. The total length of the pipeline is about 4,000-km. According to CNPC, the pipeline supplies gas to more than 3,000 large and medium-sized enterprises in more than 160 cities.
The construction of the West–East Gas Pipeline started in 2002. The pipeline was put into trial operation in 2004, and the full commercial supply of natural gas started in the following year. The pipeline is owned and operated by PetroChina West–East Gas Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of PetroChina.
The West–East Gas Pipeline is connected to the Shaan-Jing pipeline by three branch pipelines. The 886-km long Ji-Ning branch between the Qingshan distributing station and the Anping distributing station became operational in December 2005.