The Chinese section of the Eastern Russia-China Natural Gas Pipeline, one of China's key energy projects, has been fully completed and is now entering the final stage of preparation before official operation, China Oil and Gas Piping Network Corporation (PipeChina) announced on Monday.
The cross-border pipeline is a landmark project in Russia-China energy cooperation. The section in China stretches over 5,000 kilometers, from Heihe, a city in northeastern Heilongjiang Province bordering Russia, to Shanghai in east China. It is also one of China's four strategic oil and gas import channels.
In China, the pipeline construction is divided into three phases - the northern, middle, and southern sections. The recent completed section is the southern section, which spans 1,509 kilometers.
"In 2020, construction of the (Chinese) southern section of the Eastern Russia-China Natural Gas Pipeline began. By optimizing tunneling methods and using 18-meter extended pipes, we sped up progress across all segments. The entire southern section was completed seven months ahead of schedule, paving the way for the smooth connection and operation of the whole pipeline," said Cui Zong, a project manager at PipeChina.
Currently, the Eastern Russia-China Natural Gas Pipeline is being gradually put into operation in China, section by section. To date, more than 78 billion cubic meters of natural gas have been transferred through the channel.
The construction of the pipeline's southern section faced challenges due to the need to cross many large rivers and roads. To address these problems, PipeChina used advanced high-strength steel pipes and fully automated welding technology, better advancing the project in difficult natural conditions.
"Due to the complex construction conditions and the requirement for large-diameter and thick pipes, we used advanced welding technology and specialized equipment. Except for certain critical joints, which used semi-automatic methods, the entire southern section was welded using fully automated processes. All of the welds achieve a pass rate of over 98 percent on the first try," said Cui.
The Eastern Russia-China Natural Gas Pipeline is China's first to use 1,422 mm super-large diameter pipes made of X80 high-strength steel and 12 MPa high-pressure grade steel. It also uses advanced technologies like fully automated welding, automatic ultrasonic testing, and mechanized anti-corrosion patching, which have improved welding quality and construction efficiency.
Construction of China's key natural gas pipeline project completed
Government officials from developing countries have praised China's experience and achievements in poverty alleviation and expressed their interest in collaborating with China in this area.
Fighting hunger and poverty has been a key focus at this year's G20 meeting in Brazil.
In 2021, China, with over 1.4 billion people, announced the eradication of extreme poverty after decades of efforts, serving as an example for many countries seeking to address poverty and pursue better development.
At a recent promotion event about Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Wellington Dias, highlighted that China's poverty reduction not only stabilized food supply but also boosted business and employment. He expressed Brazil's desire to further collaborate with China on these issues.
"When we look back at the beginning of the century, Brazil and China celebrated a partnership of experiences. Brazil, especially, on food security and eradicating poverty. China, when we look at this aspect, has advanced. China not only improved its food scenario, but also developed employment opportunities and entrepreneurship. How to work together in order to better support small businesses is an important area for the partnership between Brazil and China," said Dias.
For Lynett Ochuma, Director of Social Development of Kenyan State Department for Social Protection, China's efforts in poverty alleviation are deeply integrated into the communities at the grassroots level, and have empowered these communities to take action and improve their own conditions.
"China contributed a lot for poverty alleviation, just before I came to Brazil I met a Chinese team that is participating in the clean energy, providing people and training them with skills on clean energy. And that is one way of empowering the community. They even train them on solar energy, so that they can drive their basics using solar, empowering the women and youth at the grassroots level," she said.
As a global leader in poverty alleviation and economic growth, China has become an inspiration for many developing countries, with some of them seeing valuable opportunities in collaborating with China and learning from its experience.
"In fact, we have had the opportunity to closely observe China's experience in reducing extreme poverty. Through our cooperation with China in Peru, whether at Chancay port or in other areas, we see significant opportunities. I believe that together, we will be able to face major challenges, and China's contributions, as well as what we can learn from its experience, will be extremely important," said Jessica Nino de Guzman Esaine, Vice Minister of Social Benefits of Peruvian Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion.
Officials from developing countries hail China's poverty alleviation achievement
