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The paper, citing Xinjiang Management Division of Pipeline Co Vice-Director Zhang Yuwen, said, “A ceremony will be held to celebrate the historic moment on September 1 when natural gas will flow into the line to replace the nitrogen now in the pipes. This [will] continue for five days, from which point the line will begin formally supplying natural gas for customers in eastern provinces.”
The Xinjiang Management Division of Pipeline Co is a subsidiary of state-run PetroChina Co Ltd.
According to the China Daily, the time frame for the construction was accelerated. It is believed China’s demand for natural gas to fuel its gas-fired power plants. China has been suffering severe power cuts over the past several months which have threatened to destabilise its economic growth.
This week, China’s Sinopec announced it had pulled out of the US$18 billion project, effectively making PetroChina Co Ltd the only stake holder left in the project which had originally included Royal Dutch/Shell, ExxonMobil, Gazprom and the two Chinese firms.
