CNPC set to boost WEP I capacity by 40 pct
Shanghai. December 18. INTERFAX-CHINA - China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) plans to boost the natural gas transmission capacity of the first West-East Pipeline (WEP I) by 40 percent within the next two weeks, the company announced on Dec. 17.
CNPC has added several new compressing stations along the pipeline that recently completed trial operations, the company said. The expansion will increase the 4,000 kilometer pipeline's annual transmission capacity from 12 billion cubic meters to 17 billion cubic meters.
The additional capacity is expected to help ease the natural gas shortages that have recently hit some Chinese cities, CNPC said.
Due to rising demand from the cold weather, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, is currently running short of natural gas by 400,000 cubic meters a day, while Hongzhou City, Zhejiang Province, is dealing with a daily shortage of 170,000 cubic meters.
-WV