China’s west-to-east gas transmission project marks commissioning of third pipeline

China has achieved a significant milestone in its energy infrastructure with the full commissioning of the third pipeline in its west-to-east gas transmission project. The pipeline, which spans approximately 7,378 kilometers, connects Horgos in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, traversing 10 provinces and regions. With a designed annual transmission capacity of 30 billion cubic meters, the pipeline is set to enhance the country’s energy distribution network. Construction of the pipeline began in October 2012 and was executed in three segments: eastern, central, and western. The eastern section became operational in 2016, followed by the western section in 2024. The central section, which began construction in September 2021, was completed and entered operation on September 26, 2025. The commissioning process involved rigorous testing, including staged pressure increases and continuous monitoring of key parameters such as pipeline pressure, gas flow rate, and temperature. After 35 days of observation, the pipeline was confirmed to be fully operational on November 4, 2025. The project was led by PipeChina Northwest Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of the China Oil and Gas Pipeline Network Corporation (PipeChina). The company implemented round-the-clock remote monitoring and established a real-time coordination mechanism to address operational issues efficiently. Wei Lei, deputy general manager of PipeChina Northwest Pipeline Company, highlighted that the third pipeline, alongside the first and second pipelines, forms a critical east-west energy corridor. It will alleviate operational pressure on existing pipelines, expand transmission capacity to accommodate increased production from western oil and gas fields, and meet the growing natural gas demand in central and eastern China. With the completion of the third pipeline, China now boasts a gas transmission network exceeding 20,000 kilometers, including sections of a fourth pipeline from Xinjiang’s Turpan to Zhongwei.