Sinopec Commissions Major North China Pipe
Sinopec said November 16 that the first phase of the Ordos-Anping-Cangzhou gas pipeline in north China has been put into operation.
With the pipeline in operation, peak gas supply to north China can reach 10mn m3/day, Sinopec said. In the first phase the pipeline will pass through 23 counties and eight cities in Hebei and Henan provinces. The pipeline has the capacity to transport 7bn m3/year of gas and is connected to production centres in Ordos Basin as well as Sinopec’s Tianjin LNG receiving terminal. However, in the first phase the pipeline will operate at capacity of 4bn m3/yr, Sinopec said.
Sinopec stated also that it plans to supply 18.17bn m3 of gas during the winter season that runs from November to March, up 17.7% from the last winter season.
China’s gas consumption has been trending higher since early-2017 thanks to the government's aggressive policy of switching from coal to gas. Some areas in the north of the country faced severe gas shortages last winter. State-owned explorers are working to ensure that this situation is not repeated this winter.