China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline Line I Commercially Operates      

The China-Central Asia gas pipeline line I was put into operation on December 14th, 2009.
   The gas pipeline, designed to run in dual parallel lines, begins at the gas plant near the border town in Turkmenistan and runs through central Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan before ending China at the border pass of Horgos in Xinjiang region. The gas pipeline line I, which starts up today, is 1 833 kilometer long. The gas pipeline line II is scheduled to go on stream in September 2010. Upon completion of the full project, the China-Central Asia gas pipeline will have capability of transmitting 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year from 2011.
   The gas pipeline, which spans four countries, connects with gas pipelines inside China via compressor station at Horgos and delivers gas into China's Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions like Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong to meet the growing demand for gas in these regions.
   China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) is building China's second west-east gas pipeline, which begins Horgos, via Guangdong province and Hong Kong before ending at Shanghai and is due to be completed at the end of 2009.
   The gas pipelines in China and abroad will diversify the nation's energy mix and ease supply shortage of gas and help hit its goal of cutting carbon emissions, experts said.
   The China-Central Asia gas pipeline, regarded as a new "Silk Road", is a model of the good cooperation among the four countries, and will further promote their energy collaboration in an all-round way and advance their economic development.
   Turkmenistan will offer 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year via the China-Central Asia gas pipeline to China over 30 years. And in June 2009 CNPC signed agreements with Turkmenistan Natural Gas Konzern to add 10 billion cubic meters of gas supply per year. (CCR2009 No. 20, 23, 2008 No. 20)