On April 19, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) announced that it has started the construction of the Weijisang gas storage cluster project in Tuha Oilfield, the first in the western part of China. The project, together with Xinjiang Hutubi and Tarim gas storage tank will form a gas storage centre in northwest China with 20 billion cubic metres (bcm) capacity, which will further enhance the safety of natural gas pipeline and guarantee the gas supply safety to cities along the West-to-East gas transmission pipeline.    

With a total investment of RMB7 billion, the cluster includes three storage tanks in Shanshan County, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with designed natural gas storage capacity totaling 5.6 bcm and load level reaching 2 bcm. The project is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2025. It is a key supporting project of the West-to-East gas transmission pipeline.