CNPC's Turkmen project to supply natural gas to northwest China

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) said that the Turkmenistan Amu Darya natural gas project, invested by its subsidiary PetroChina, will begin transporting natural gas to northwest China through the Central Asia Pipeline.
According to CNPC, the gas processing plant for the Amu Darya project began producing qualified natural gas from November 22. This project can supply China with more than 5 bn cm of gas annually and is the main source of the Central Asia Pipeline.

Kou Zhong, deputy director of the China Petroleum Planning & Engineering Institute pointed out that China can transport 5 bn cm of gas through the Central Asia Pipeline next year, and the capacity of the pipeline will increase to 30 bn cm by October 2010.
PetroChina plans to have an annual production of 13 bn cm for the Amu Darya project by 2011, and the company will also purchase 17 bn cm of gas from Turkmenistan in the next 30 years to make full use of the Central Asia Pipeline.

Zhang Guobao, head of the NationalEnergy Administration said that the gas from the pipeline can help to ease the tight natural gas shortage due to the cold weather from the beginning of November.
The Amu Darya natural gas project is China's largest overseas natural gas project so far.