Gas to be Pipelined from West to East on October 1

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, June 24, 2003

Gas to be Pipelined from West to East on October 1

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The long-awaited west-east pipeline project will put into production on October 1 with the commercial operation to start next January, sources say. Meanwhile, it is confirmed that most pipeline networks in Henan Province where the Pipeline runs through will meet the conditions for transporting gas.

Launched on July 4 last year, the project boasts China's largest project opening to foreign cooperation. Its initial investment in the main line stands at 160 billion yuan, and the Pipeline snakes from Lunnan in Xinjiang to Baihe town in Shanghai. Till now the Pipeline's eastern segment (from Jiangbian in Shaanxi to Shanghai) has basically completed construction, which lays a solid foundation for PetroChina to announce production on October 1, two months ahead of schedule, and commercial operation in January 2004 as well.

Question: Will it go smoothly to transport gas on October 1?

In regard with the still unfinished construction of traversing the Yangtze River in Nanjing and the Yellow River in Zhengzhou, plus the construction of users' pipeline networks at the lower reaches this mainly rests with local governments. If the construction of pipeline networks wouldn't keep pace with that of the main line, mints of losses will be entailed. Should these difficulties subdue the whole project? Will the project succeed in piping gas on October 1?

Related official said that by the basic completion of construction of the Pipeline's main line, it has fully satisfied the conditions for transporting gas by the end of this year.

According to the above-said official, constructors have made wonders one after another while the Pipeline cutting through the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

For instance, on May 23 constructors in Gubozui Zhengzhou hit a new world record by the pipe jacking machine nose drilling a tunnel 1166 meters away from and 25 meters beneath an open caisson. And on June 10, those in Yanshuiguan Shaanxi scored a breakthrough in the tunnel construction after overcoming more than 10 water surges and four catastrophic ones.

Moreover, the project's cross-Yangtze-River construction in Sanjiangkou Nanjing, if put it in terminology, "Yangtze River shield" construction, had completed 1578 meters by the first ten days of June, making up 79.2 percent of the total.

The official also added that the segment in Henan and Anhui is currently conducting the drying work of the pipelines. Once the drying work comes to an end, this segment is ready for piping gas.

Answer: The alternative scheme assures gas transmission

Considering that the whole pipeline hasn't yet cut through the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, how would the pipeline transmit gas should the passing construction be left unfinished?

The alternative scheme helps to ensure gas transmission on October 1 by laying cross-the-two-river pipelines on the ground in case the constructions won't be completed on schedule.

With a total length of 4000 kilometers and an annual gas transmission capacity of 12 billion cubic meters, the project can hardly expect high returns. What's more wrecking is that no formal contract has been signed between PetroChina and consumers at the lower reach.

For example, contracts that include 70 percent of the gas consumption amount should have been signed between PetroChina and Henan consumers by June 30, while the reality is not. Will this hold over gas supply?

According to related personages with Henan west-east gas pipeline project negotiating panel, the senior tier with PetroChina, pricing departments along the west-east gas transmission pipeline and consumers will meet in Hangzhou on June 19 to further discuss a series of problems such as natural gas exploitation, markets taping and gas prices as well. Headway is as believed going to be made in this meeting. As learned, too high gas prices plus indefinite consumption amount account for the delay of the contract. However, compromise will surely push the two sides to sign a contract before October 1.

Henan expects to use gas from the country's west by the yearend

June 18, a symbolic day for Henan to use west-east natural gas, is when Jiaozuo, the first west-east gas consumption city, started the construction of west-east natural gas utilization project.

As the first province to consume west-east gas, Henan had its two local lines---Yunan and Yubei started on October 31, 2002 and January 23, 2003 respectively. As planned, the former, 215-kilometer-long, absorbs a total investment of 0.43 billion yuan and runs through six cities with the utmost transmission amount reaching 1 billion cubic meters; while the latter, 206-kilometer-long, absorbs a total investment of 0.239 billion yuan and runs through four cities with the utmost transmission amount reaching 0.63 billion cubic meters.

Mr. Hu Liangcun responsible for Yunan Pipeline Company said that the Yunan line is progressing smoothly and expected to complete the construction of main pipelines by the end of July. Besides, the Yubei line has its over 50 percent of the construction completed. The two lines will be put into operation by the yearend and meet the requirements for receiving natural gas, while the majority of pipeline networks in Henan Province will reach the standards of receiving and transporting natural gas by the end of this year.

By PD Online Staff Zhu Lizhen

Questions?Comments? Click here

Key Gas Pipeline Crosses Yellow River

NW China Province to Start Laying Gas Pipeline

Gas Pipeline Under Construction in East China

News Analysis: Iran, Next US Target? ( 2 Messages)

Five Major Problems in China's Income Distribution ( 3 Messages)

China Adopts Draft Regulation on Vagrants ( 4 Messages)

Democracy in Iraq, through Ballot or Bullet? ( 7 Messages)

China-made HDTVs Sold to US Army ( 3 Messages)

Chinese Girl Granted US "President Scholarship Prize" ( 2 Messages)