Background

The project of transmitting natural gas from west to east China, consisting of tapping natural gas, pipeline construction and utilization of natural gas, is a symbolic project of the West China Development. The construction started on 4 July 2002, and the entire pipeline was completed on 1 October 2004 and put into commercial operation on 30 December the same year. The main pipeline of the project, about 4,000 km long, starts from Tarim of Xinjiang in the west and reaches Baihe Town of Shanghai in the east, passing through 10 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. This natural gas pipeline is the longest, biggest in caliber, highest in pressure, largest in transmission volume of its kind in China, and was constructed in the most complicated conditions. It provides natural gas for the central and eastern China and has become an energy artery across the country.