Notice from the General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation on Accelerating the Safety Inspection and Rectification of Gas Pressure Pipelines

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To the market supervision bureaus (departments, commissions) of various provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as to all relevant agencies: In line with the important directives regarding urban gas safety issued by ****, and in accordance with the decisions and arrangements made by **** and the State Council, the State Council Safety Committee has issued the \"National Plan for the Inspection and Rectification of Urban Gas Safety Issues.\" This plan specifies that the task of market supervision departments is to identify and rectify illegal and irregular practices such as the failure to carry out construction notifications or installation supervision inspections for gas pressure pipelines under construction, as well as the failure to conduct regular inspections on gas pressure pipelines that are already in use but have exceeded their inspection deadlines. The General Office of the State Council issued the \"Implementation Plan for the Aging and Renovation of Urban Gas Pipelines (2022–2025)\". To effectively carry out the safety supervision responsibilities related to gas pressure pipelines by the market regulation authorities, to prevent and mitigate major safety risks, and to improve the safety and quality standards of such pipelines, the following measures are hereby issued to accelerate the safety inspection and rectification of gas pressure pipelines: 1. Conduct a comprehensive inspection to determine the full scope of gas pressure pipelines. Market supervision departments in various regions should, in accordance with the unified arrangements of the local safety committees, actively cooperate with the regulatory authorities in the gas industry to urge pipeline-using entities to determine the number of gas pressure pipelines they possess, and to obtain information such as the date of construction, ownership, pipeline material, operating parameters, and inspection status. On this basis, market supervision departments across the country should complete the compilation of the statistical table for inspections of gas pressure pipelines by June 30, 2022 (see Attachment 1). At that time, provincial market regulation authorities shall, in light of the actual situation regarding the supervision of gas pressure pipelines in their respective regions, complete the statistical table on the safety supervision of gas pressure pipelines (see Annex 2). II. Strengthen supervision and management of the production process for gas pressure pipelines. Market supervision authorities across the country should strengthen oversight of the production process of newly built and renovated gas pressure pipelines, strictly enforce the production licenses related to such pipelines, and urge relevant institutions to carry out thorough supervision, inspection, and type testing of pipeline components, thereby ensuring high quality in the manufacturing of these components from the outset. Urge and supervise inspection agencies to strengthen the verification of the relevant qualifications of pressure pipeline component manufacturers, as well as of those involved in the design and construction of gas pressure pipelines and the construction workers themselves, in order to ensure high quality in the construction of new pressure pipelines as well as those that are upgraded or modified. In accordance with the Special Equipment Safety Law and the relevant technical specifications for special equipment safety, comprehensive procedures for notifying of construction activities and conducting supervision inspections during the installation of new gas pressure pipelines, as well as those undergoing renovation, are implemented. Any violations of regulations are subject to legal penalties, and such parties are included in the credit supervision platform for joint disciplinary action. III. Increase the coverage rate of statutory inspections for gas pressure pipelines. For in-service gas pressure pipelines that have not undergone installation supervision inspections or whose inspection validity period has expired, measures such as regular inspections, safety assessments, renovation, and disposal should be taken depending on their operating conditions and safety status. Regular inspections and safety assessments shall be carried out in accordance with safety technical specifications and relevant technical standards. Inspection agencies for high-pressure, sub-high-pressure, and medium-pressure gas pipelines must possess the qualifications for regular inspection of utility pipelines. High-pressure gas pipelines that meet the conditions for internal inspection shall undergo such inspection, which shall be conducted by an inspection agency qualified for periodic inspection of long-distance pipelines. The periodic inspection of sub-high-pressure and medium-pressure gas pressure pipelines (including comprehensive inspection and fitness-for-service evaluation) shall be carried out in accordance with the “Rules for Periodic Inspection of Pressure Pipelines—Public Pipelines” (TSG D7004) ； The periodic inspection of high-pressure gas pipelines shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the “Rules for Periodic Inspection of Pressure Pipelines—Long-distance (oil and gas) Pipelines” (TSG D7003). Market supervision authorities in various regions should strengthen communication and coordination with the regulatory bodies in the gas industry, and establish a coordination mechanism to urge entities that use gas pressure pipelines to assume their primary responsibility for safety, to develop inspection plans, and to comply with the legal requirements regarding inspections of such pipelines. Supervise pressure pipeline inspection agencies to strictly comply with the requirements of safety technical specifications when carrying out supervision and inspection during the installation of gas pressure pipelines as well as periodic inspections. Actively encourage eligible users of gas pressure pipelines to establish inspection agencies to conduct regular inspections of their own gas pressure pipelines. IV. Strengthen the management of inspection information for pressure pipelines. Market supervision authorities in various regions should urge and guide pressure pipeline inspection agencies or user units to upload inspection information on long-distance pipelines and gas pressure pipelines to the National Pressure Pipeline Inspection Information Management System (https://pipeins.csei.org.cn), so as to gradually establish a national database for pressure pipeline inspections and achieve dynamic management of information related to pressure pipelines. To update the data in the National Pressure Pipeline Inspection Information Management System: 1. After the construction, modification, decommissioning, or disposal of pressure pipelines, as well as after the completion of installation supervision inspections and regular inspections, the pressure pipeline inspection agency or the entity using the pipelines shall upload the new or updated data to the National Pressure Pipeline Inspection Information Management System within 30 days ； 2. For pressure pipelines whose basic information has changed, the entity using the pressure pipeline is responsible for updating the relevant data ； 3. For newly constructed pressure pipelines, the relevant data shall be uploaded by the pressure pipeline supervision and inspection agency or the user unit (see Attachment 1) ； 4. After the regular inspection of pressure pipelines is completed, the relevant inspection data shall be uploaded by the inspection agency or the user unit. Provinces may also establish an information management system for the inspection of pressure pipelines within their respective jurisdictions, and ensure interconnection and data sharing with the national information management system for pressure pipeline inspections. The shared information must include at least all items listed in Annex 1. The pressure pipeline inspection information management systems established by various provinces should possess at least the following functions: 1. Allow pipeline users to query and upload information regarding their own pipelines as well as inspection data online ； 2. Online inquiry of inspection agencies and uploading of information regarding the pipelines inspected by the unit ； 3. Market supervision departments at the provincial level and below can query pipeline information and inspection data within their respective administrative regions online ； 4. The query and statistics functions should include: retrieval and search of pipeline information, as well as statistics on the number of gas companies, pipeline length, and inspection rates by province, city, and county ； Statistically calculate pipeline length and inspection rate over time ； Statistics on pipeline length, inspection rate, and cases of overdue pipeline inspections, etc., by pipeline level. V. Establish a long-term mechanism to improve the safety level of gas pressure pipelines. Local market regulation authorities must, under local **coordination and in accordance with their respective responsibilities**, cooperate with the gas industry management authorities to fulfill their regulatory duties, strengthen their sense of responsibility, and vigorously advance all related work. In provinces where the division of responsibilities for the supervision of gas pressure pipelines among market regulation authorities has not been clearly defined, these authorities should actively carry out coordination and communication. Under the local **overall leadership and with the support of the Safety Committee, they should promptly clarify the division of responsibilities and proceed with their work in accordance with those assignments. All regions should strengthen the management and application of inspection information related to pressure pipelines, continuously carry out risk assessments of gas pressure pipelines, enhance prevention and control measures, eliminate potential hazards, and constantly improve the safety and quality standards of such pipelines. Market supervision departments at all levels must raise their political awareness further, adhere to the principle that the people and life come first, strengthen organizational leadership, take immediate action, and treat urban gas safety as an important political task to be addressed thoroughly and effectively. Provincial market supervision departments shall formulate safety inspection and rectification plans for gas pressure pipelines in their respective regions based on local conditions, take effective measures, earnestly fulfill their regulatory responsibilities, and ensure that the inspection and rectification work is carried out properly. If you encounter problems at work, report them promptly to the Special Equipment Bureau of the General Administration (contact person: Qin Xianyong, 010-82262259).