For over 14 years, the Central Asia-China gas pipeline has been a vital conduit for clean energy, delivering over 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China, Chinese media reported, citing the West Pipeline Company of the Chinese PipeChina Corporation.
The Khorgos gas compressor station, a critical component of the pipeline, serves as the initial entry point for Central Asian gas into China. It acts as the “head station” and “heart” for the entire operation of the second and third lines of the West-to-East Gas Pipeline in China.
Since its commissioning in 2009, the Khorgos Compressor Station has operated safely and stably for over 5,000 days, totally transporting over 500 billion cubic meters of Central Asian natural gas.
Khorgos station has the highest operational performance in Asia. The operating pressure in the pipeline is 12 megapascals, which allows pumping more than 2,000 cubic meters of natural gas every second. The station pumps a maximum of 160 million cubic meters of gas per day.
The 522.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas is equivalent to replacing 696 million tons of standard coal, reducing emissions of 764 million tons of carbon dioxide, 25 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 379 million tons of dust, and 6.27 million tons of nitrogen oxides.
The Khorgos compressor station also promotes green and low-carbon development. The plant implemented China’s first electricity generation project by using waste heat of natural gas-fired gas compressors, which made it possible for the first time to achieve zero direct emissions for large gas transmission stations powered by gas compressors. The annual power generation exceeds 65 million kilowatt-hours.
From the first compressor station, natural gas along the Central Asia – China pipeline travels 1833 km eastward for 84 hours, passes through the central part of Uzbekistan, the southern part of Kazakhstan and enters China through the border checkpoint Khorgos, enters the second and third lines of the West-East gas pipeline. The gas pipeline with a design capacity of 60 billion cubic meters of gas per year was put into operation in December 2009.
The China-Central Asia gas pipeline has provided gas to more than 500 million residents in 27 provincial-level regions and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.