Discover

The 'Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline' is China's first direct oil import pipeline. When fully completed, the 3000 kilometre long pipeline will run from Atyrau in Kazakhstan to Alashankou in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The pipeline is being developed by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and the Kazakh oil company KazMunayGas. The capacity of pipeline is 20 million tons of oil annually.
The construction of pipeline was agreed between China and Kazakhstan in 1997. The first section of pipeline from the Aktöbe region's oil fields to the Atyrau was completed in 2003. The construction of the 987 kilometre long second section of pipeline from Atasu to Alashankou started in September 2004 and was completed in December 2005. It includes an oil meterage station at the Alataw Pass. In Alashankou this section is connected with the Alashankou-Dushanzi Crude Oil Pipeline, which runs to the Dushanzi District supplying mainly the Dushanzi refinery. The first oil through this pipeline reached the refinery in August 2006.
The third section of the Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline will be Kenkiyak-Kumkol and it is expected to reach full capacity in 2011.
Currently the pipeline is supplied from the Aktobe region's fields and from the Kumkol field. In future the main supply source will be Kashagan field. The pipeline is also expected to be used for the transportation of oil from Russia's western Siberia by connection with Omsk (Russia) -Pavlodar (Kasakhstan) -Shymkent - Türkmenabat (Turkmenistan) pipeline in Atasu oil terminal. The pipeline is planned to be used by TNK-BP and Rosneft starting from January 2007, as also later by Lukoil.

Contents

External links

External links

★ Caspian oil exports heading east, by Alexander Sukhanov, Asia Times 9 February 2005

★ China starts work on Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline, by People's Daily Online 25 March 2005

★ China-Kazakhstan pipeline starts to pump oil, by China Daily 15 December 2005

★ Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline to open in May, by People's Daily Online 27 February 2006

★ Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline opens to operation, by Xinhua 12 July 2006

★ First oil through Kazakhstan-China pipeline, by Petroleum Intelligence Weekly 15 August 2006