Project Profile
Estimated Investment: WEPP I: US$5.7bn; WEPP II: US$22bn; WEPP III: US$19.9bn
Location: West to East China
Construction Started: WEPP I: 2002; WEPP II: 2008; WEPP III: 2014
Completion: WEPP I: 2004; WEPP II: December 2012; WEPP III: 2015
Commissioned: WEPP I: January 2004, WEPP II: June 2011; WEPP III: 2015
The West-East Gas Pipeline Project (WEPP) is one of the major natural gas transmission projects intended for the development of the western regions in China. The project involves construction of four gas pipelines connecting the eastern markets of China with the western resources to allow mutual and sustainable development. The pipeline project is being developed by PetroChina West-East Gas Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of PetroChina. The first west-east gas pipeline (WEPP I) construction was started in 2002 and opened in December 2004. Initially designed with a 12 billion cubic metre (bcm) capacity of natural gas per annum, it started commercial supply in 2005. In December 2009, the capacity was increased to 17bcm by upgrading its existing eight compressor stations and installing ten new additional stations. GE Oil and Gas supplied the equipment for WEPP I.
Construction on the second pipeline (WEPP II) started in February 2008 and was completed in December 2012. The WEPP II has a total length of 8,704km and travels through 15 provinces. It has an eastern and western section, and eight branches. It originates at Horgos in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and terminates at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after traversing Shanghai and Guangzhou. A 4,978km eastern section of the WEPP II commenced operations in June 2011. It runs from Horgas to Shanghai in the east and to Guangzhou in the south. The WEPP II is estimated to cost US$22 billion. Its transmission capacity is 30bcm and a minimum lifespan of 30 years. It links about ten major pipelines in the country.
Groundbreaking for the third pipeline (WEPP III) took place in October 2012 and the pipeline was constructed by August 2014. WEPP IV is still in the planning stage. The 7,378km WEPP III was laid between south eastern China and the west from Xinjiang autonomous region to the Guangdong province. The pipeline includes a 5,220km-long main line and eight branches. The WEPP III is designed to deliver 30bcm annually at 10-12Mpa. The WEPP IV is planned to connect the Sino-Myanmar natural gas pipeline with the Sichuan gas fields or the Tarim basin.
Operator:
PetroChina: Operator with 100% interest
Contractors:
China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Corporation: EPC contract
Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co Ltd (TISCO): Steel pipeline
GE Oil & Gas: PGT25+ gas turbines and PCL 800 compressors
Rolls Royce: RB211 compressor packages and later awarded a contract to supply an additional two RB211 gas turbine driven pipeline compressor units
RH Energy: Pressure control systems
Honeywell International: Control and safety systems