China studies Tarim basin gas pipeline

Dec. 22, 2005
Chinese government officials are promoting plans to build a second natural gas pipeline linking gas deposits in the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang with Guangzhou.

Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent

LOS ANGELES, Dec 22 -- Chinese government officials are promoting plans to build a second natural gas pipeline linking gas deposits in the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang with Guangzhou.

A senior official from the Ministry of Land and Resources said companies and government bodies, including the National Development and Reform Commission, are engaged in preliminary study of the project.

The official told state media that PetroChina, which started construction of its West-East gas pipeline in 2004, would build the new line. A PetroChina official said the firm's subsidiary for natural gas and pipeline operations was considering the line's feasibility.

Other PetroChina sources said construction of the new pipeline to Guangzhou would start in 2020. Capacity would be 26 billion cu m/year.

According to an engineer at PetroChina's Planning & Engineering Institute, supplies would be supplemented with gas from Russia or Kazakhstan.

He said PetroChina estimates gas reserves in Xinjiang's Tarim basin at 658 billion cu m.

Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].