CREP Expected to Connect Beijing by Oct 30
According to sources, the construction progress of the middle section (Changling-Yongqing) of China-Russia East Pipeline (CREP) is ahead of the schedule, and this section is expected to start transmitting Russian natural gas to Beijing and the surrounding areas in North China from October 30, 2020.
By October 6, all the underground drill-through works of the mid-section’s construction had been accomplished, and welding and installation of pipes were also accelerating. Moreover, several construction sections of the mid-section have finished and waited for the test running. It is expected the mid-section will go into a thorough stress test by the end of October and start commercial running from November 15, the beginning day of the winter heating season 2020-2021.
CREP was set to supply 8 bcm of natural gas in its first year, but Gazprom and CNPC adjusted the schedule to 5 bcm in 2020. However, the underdeveloped natural gas consumption in Northeast China was not capable to digest all the delivery of Russian gas, and the 2020 import schedule was accordingly behind the schedule. With the connection to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the upcoming winter, the potential of CREP will be more utilized, and it is estimated that the piped natural gas import from Russia will embrace a significant jump from November and become a key role of North China’s winter supply on its massive availability and lower costs.
