Myanmar-China Oil and Gas Pipeline Commences Operations
A ‘‘‘1.9 billion twin pipeline that will ship oil and gas from Myanmar to China began operations in October 2013 in southwest China, a crucial element in Chinese efforts to improve energy security as its economy continues to grow. The pipelines have a capacity of 440,000 barrels of crude a day and are expected to send 12 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to Burma and southwest China, reducing coal consumption by 30.72 million tons per year, according to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).
It was reported in July 2014 that Southwest-China’s Yunnan Province imported 613,000 tons or (2.27 billion yuan) of natural gas through the Sino-Myanmar oil and gas pipelines during the first half of the year. In August 2014, it was reported that the oil pipeline had been concluded and would start operating later in 2014.
Previously, Win Maw, a senior Myanmar energy ministry official said a small amount of gas was exported to China during 2013–2014 due to the gradual nature in which new pipelines needed to be built up to capacity and that considerably more will be exported in 2014/2015. The twin oil and gas pipeline was agreed to between Burma and China in 2009, designed to run from Burma‘s port of Kyaukphyu to Kunming in southwestern China. A consortium that included China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) commissioned the pipeline to carry gas from the Shwe gas project to China.