PetroChina to Start Third Phase of East-West Gas Pipeline

PetroChina will commence workon the third phase of its West-East natural gas pipeline later this year.  The project will also have investments from private companies.

The pipeline, which will supply gas from Turkmenistan and Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas, is expected to be complete in two to three years. 

Global Times has reported that PetroChina said will import 23 billion to 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas from central Asia this year, up from the 15.9 billion cubic meters in 2011.

Despite allowing private investment in oil and gas sector, the sector is still dominated by state owned firms Sinopec and PetroChina.