Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Jan.14 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Since commissioning of Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline in December, 2009 over 20 billion cubic meters of gas have been transported via this pipeline, Chinese media outlets reported on Saturday.
"Thus a reliable guarantee was provided to meet rapidly increasing Chinese demand for gas", the report says with a reference to PetroChina Corporation, purchasing gas.
Gas was supplied to 16 provinces, cities and autonomous regions of China via the China-Central Asia gas pipeline in 2010, this number increased up to 22 in 2011 and number of population benefiting from gas transportation hit 500 million people. Gas was first supplied to Sichuan Province and Chongqing city in April, 2011, via the second branch of the gas pipeline, which contributed to easing tense situation with demand and supply.
Gas was supplied to the delta of Guangdong River in November, 2011. As a result, structure of supply of liquefied gas was changed.
Daily volume of the Central-Asian gas supplies to China amount to 55 million cubic meters of gas with the beginning of winter.
Chinese media outlets have recently reported that Hong Kong (Xianggang) Special Administrative Region may also import fuel via gas pipeline from Central Asia in 2012.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is laying a gas pipeline with total length of 29.3 kilometers through bottom of the sea, which will connect continental China with Hong Kong.
The Central Asia-China gas pipeline with a total capacity of 30 billion cubic meter of gas was constructed by CNPC, which made it possible for Turkmenistan to expand sales markets, before limited to Russia and Iran's supplies. Ashgabat and Beijing have recently agreed to double gas supply. The agreement was signed during Turkmen President Gurbangulu Berdimuhammadov's state visit to China in late 2011.
CNPC operates in Turkmenistan based on exclusive Product Sharing Agreement (PSA) on development of onshore Bagtyyarlyk field in Lebap Province.