【History of Haichuan Pipelines】The Sichuan Gas Export Pipeline Project, which took 40 years to complete
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Let’s take a look at a piece of news first =========================== The new route for transporting gas out of Sichuan has resumed operations, with gas transport volume reaching 5 billion cubic meters per year via the Zhonggui pipeline. April 10, 2020, 15:33. Source: People’s Daily Online – Sichuan Edition. People’s Daily Online, Chengdu, April 10: 35 days have passed since the third route for transporting gas out of Sichuan started operating again; the companies involved have been working tirelessly to meet the deadline and ensure that the route becomes operational by September 30. By then, this pipeline will be capable of an annual gas transmission capacity of 5 billion cubic meters. The Sichuan-Chongqing region is one of China’s key natural gas production areas; by 2020, the output from the Southwest Oil and Gas Fields is expected to reach 30 billion cubic meters. The surplus gas volume in the Sichuan-Chongqing region is increasing year by year, leading to a reversal in the regional market – what used to be a situation of insufficient supply has now turned into one of excess supply – and the existing capacity for transporting gas outward is far from sufficient. The third channel, the Jiangna Line expansion project under the initiative of \"Transporting Sichuan’s gas out of the province,\" is a key project in Chongqing and also plays an important role in helping the Southwest oil and gas fields achieve a production target of 30 billion cubic meters and 50 billion cubic meters. The Jiangna Line capacity expansion project, covering an area of 72 mu with a total estimated investment of 409 million yuan, will involve the construction of a new Jiangjin pressure boosting station as well as 1.1 kilometers of transmission pipeline from the new Jiangjin pressure boosting station to the Jiangjin sub-transmission station on the Zhonggui Line ； Renovate the Jiangjin distribution station and the Jiangjin gas transmission main station on the Jiangna line. At the same time, the external connection pipelines were re-routed, with a total length of 1 kilometer for the re-routing. The Jiangjin pressure boosting station is designed with a pressure of 10 MPa, and a single unit can boost a maximum of 6.8 million cubic meters of gas per day. Once the project is completed, it will initially receive gas from the Jiangjin Gas Transmission Station, which will then be sent to the Zhonggui Pipeline via the Jiangjin Pressure Boosting Station. In the long term, it will receive gas from areas such as Weiyuan and Luzhou; some of this gas will be sent to the Zhonggui Pipeline while another portion will be used to supply the Chongqing region. This is of great significance for improving the flexibility of gas distribution in the Sichuan-Chongqing area, ensuring a stable supply in the region, and providing a gas supply source for the Zhonggui Pipeline. The Zhongwu Pipeline, Sichuan’s and Chongqing’s first export pipeline, enabled the first shipment of gas from Sichuan in August 2004; by the end of March 2020, a total of 9.867 billion cubic meters of natural gas had been exported through it. The loading project for the second external transmission pipeline, the Moxi-Tongliang pipeline, was put into operation in October 2019; by the end of March this year, a total of 1.735 billion cubic meters of gas had been transmitted externally and stored in gas reservoirs. Sichuan gas is integrated into the national pipeline network, providing strong support for the country’s economic and social development. (Fan Zhaoming, Huang Ran)
In the 1970s, oil workers in Sichuan persisted in production under extremely difficult conditions, accelerated the exploration and development of natural gas, and made a series of significant discoveries. The Sichuan Basin is surrounded by seven major mountain ranges; its surface conditions are harsh, the underground conditions are complex, with numerous fault blocks and cracks. Thanks to the widespread use of analog tape seismographs, natural gas exploration technology has made significant progress, leading to the discovery of nearly a hundred hidden structures. The area for exploration has been expanded. In 1972, geologists, through comprehensive research and analysis of extensive geological data, confirmed the existence of an ancient uplift structure covering an area of about 30,000 square kilometers in the region from Leshan to Longnüsi. Many local structural features have developed within this massive structure. Through drilling, multiple gas reservoirs from the Sinian and Permian periods, among others, have been successively discovered. Through seismic exploration, Triassic gas reservoirs associated with structures such as Zhongba and Hewanchang were also discovered in northwestern Sichuan. By the end of 1973, drilling had been carried out on 77 structural units in total, 395 wells had been completed, 37 gas fields of various types were discovered, and the annual natural gas production reached 6 billion cubic meters, marking significant development. At the end of 1974, in an effort to reverse the situation of transporting coal from the north to the south and to change the composition of China’s energy mix, the Ministry of Fuel and Chemistry submitted a proposal to the State Council to accelerate the development of natural gas in Sichuan and to enable the export of this gas from the region. The main basis for this proposal was the proven reserves of natural gas in Sichuan.
After September 1973, the Fuel and Chemicals Department organized geological experts on multiple occasions to analyze the natural gas reserves in the Sichuan Basin, concluding that Sichuan is rich in natural gas resources and possesses the characteristics of \"one large amount, two high levels, and three highs\". “\"Large\" mainly refers to good oil generation and storage conditions as well as large reserve amounts. The Sichuan Basin covers an area of 230,000 square kilometers. Based on comparative analysis using relevant statistical data on oil and gas-bearing basins around the world, the natural gas reserves in this basin are estimated to be over 10 trillion cubic meters. “\"Erduo\" mainly refers to many reservoir layers and many structures. From the lower Sinian period to the upper Jurassic period, 14 gas-bearing formations have been identified; each gas field has at least three major gas-bearing layers, while high-yield fields such as Wolonghe have five such major layers. There are 257 structurally favorable areas throughout the basin that have been confirmed by seismic studies, in addition to potential favorable zones where karst caves and fractures are well-developed. “The \"three highs\" refer mainly to high gas production in gas wells; there are 46 such high-production wells, with output of over 1 million cubic meters each, accounting for more than 180% of the total number of wells. Among the 14 industrial gas reservoirs, 9 of them have high-production wells.
On February 24, 1975, the **Planning Commission approved this project and issued a formal notice to various central ministries and departments as well as the relevant provinces and cities, titled \"On the Development of Natural Gas in Sichuan and the Construction of the Sichuan-Hunan Gas Pipeline.\" Provinces such as Sichuan and Hubei have begun to plan and implement an economic framework based on natural gas as an energy source in accordance with the spirit of this notice, and have carried out some preliminary projects, such as the construction of large-scale steel pipe manufacturing plants and road construction to support long-distance pipelines. The Combustion and Chemical Processing Department is making every effort to implement the \"Chuanqi Out of Sichuan\" plan. In April 1975, at the founding meeting of the Jiangsu Petroleum Campaign Command, Kang Shien said cheerfully, “The areas along the Yangtze River are the most industrially and agriculturally developed regions in our country, yet these areas suffer from a shortage of fuel.” ****To reverse the trend of transporting coal from the north to the south, several measures have been taken; one of them is to build the oil pipeline from Shandong’s Shengli to Nanjing, as approved by * ； Secondly, the natural gas in Sichuan, which has been approved for development, needs to be transported via long-distance pipelines to Wuhan and then to Shanghai. This pipeline is over 2,000 kilometers long and has a diameter of more than one meter. This project is quite large; it was undertaken to address the fuel shortage on both sides of the Yangtze River. ”
“The “Sichuan Gas Out of Sichuan” project was launched in a hurry due to a lack of strict scrutiny of the proven reserves, and it proceeded before the resources were fully secured, going beyond normal procedures and resulting in many complications. Large-scale natural gas purification equipment is imported from abroad, but the development of gas fields is progressing too slowly. To that end, Kang Shien criticized the deputy director in charge of exploration work at the Sichuan bureau during a system-wide telephone conference, saying, \"By then, you better be able to provide 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas to be sent to Shanghai through the pipelines!\" ”After more than three years of hard work. The situation regarding natural gas exploration in Sichuan remains unfavorable. What was originally expected to be high-yield gas fields turned out to be a disappointment for many exploration wells; although some wells did produce gas, the results were not satisfactory. The main reason is that the Sichuan gas field is controlled by structures and fractures, making it difficult to identify patterns for now. Due to the fact that the proven reserves do not meet the requirements and the resources are not secured, it is difficult to formulate a development plan; as a result, the annual natural gas production can only reach around 8 billion cubic meters. This amount is sufficient only to meet the needs of Sichuan province itself, and there is no capacity for exporting gas, making it impossible to continue with the plan to send gas out of Sichuan. On the basis of thorough research and evaluation, in June 1978, the State Council made a decisive decision: the \"Sichuan gas export\" project was completely aborted, construction on projects that had already begun was halted, and efforts were initiated to handle the subsequent matters.
This incident had a significant impact across the country. At the third sessions of the Fifth National People’s Congress and the Third Sessions of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, some deputies to the people’s congresses and members of the CPPCC raised sharp criticisms regarding the mistakes and wastages caused by the hasty launch of the \"Sichuan gas export\" project. In September 1980, the leaders of the Ministry of Petroleum convened a work meeting on rectifying mistakes, and conducted a realistic assessment of the errors made in the \"Chuanqi Out of Sichuan\" project. On September 14, Kang Shien conducted a special inspection at the party group meeting of the department and took leadership responsibility. He believed that in making decisions, too much emphasis was placed on the social needs of the project, while scientific considerations were overlooked. In terms of the calculation of natural gas reserves, as well as the overall planning and construction timeline of the project, subjective factors were given excessive importance, violating or even exceeding the objective conditions of that time and place, which made it difficult to achieve the project’s goals. This is a serious mistake committed by violating objective laws and failing to adhere to the spirit of seeking truth from facts. Following a thorough reflection on the Chuanqi Out-of-Sichuan project, the Ministry of Petroleum adopted a highly cautious approach when reviewing natural gas reserve calculations thereafter, establishing numerous systems and measures to ensure the accuracy of those calculations and to leave sufficient margin. It is proposed to use three times the reserve to maintain one time the production capacity, and to use the test production from three wells to ensure the production of one well. During the reserve assessment of the Yinggehai gas field, one company found that its calculations were insufficient, so it invited authoritative experts from internationally renowned oil companies to conduct a review ； Not only are reserves calculated, but the components of natural gas are also carefully analyzed and evaluated. However, the leaders of the Petroleum Ministry have always been optimistic and confident about the development and prospects of the natural gas industry in the Sichuan Basin. They believe that more natural gas can certainly be found within the 230,000 square kilometers of sedimentary area in Sichuan, allowing for the creation of more natural gas fields; ultimately, the natural gas from Sichuan will need to be exported outside the region. And this oil industry professional’s dream came true at the beginning of the 21st century, thanks to one major discovery after another in Sichuan’s natural gas exploration over the years.
Here is another piece of news ================== The annual gas transport capacity of the Sichuan-Guangdong gas pipeline has been increased to 15 billion cubic meters. Source: Sinopec Group. Publication date: January 26, 2018. On January 17, a 72-hour test of the compressor units at the Wuhan compression station on this pipeline was successfully completed, marking the full completion of the first phase of the pipeline’s expansion project. As a result, the pipeline’s annual gas transport capacity increased from 12 billion cubic meters to 15 billion cubic meters. The pressure increase project for the Sichuan Gas to East China pipeline mainly includes Phase I and Phase II. The total investment for the first phase is 1.5 billion yuan, which includes the construction of three new compression stations in Huangjin, Yichang, and Wuhan, as well as the expansion of two existing compression stations in Lichuan and Qianjiang. The completion of this project effectively eliminates the bottleneck that prevented the full export of gas from the three major gas production areas of Puguang, Yuanba, and Fuling. It is of great significance for promoting industrial structure adjustment and energy structure optimization, as well as ensuring **energy security.
The efforts of generations have come together – kudos to the builders!
The Sichuan Gas to East China pipeline project starts at the Puguang terminal in northeastern Sichuan and ends at the Shanghai terminal; it is another major pipeline artery that runs across China’s eastern and western regions, following the West Gas to East China pipeline. The pipeline passes through Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, and Shanghai – four provinces and two municipalities. Its designed flow rate is 12 billion cubic meters per year, the designed gas pressure is 10.0 MPa, the pipe diameter is 1016 mm, and the pipe material is X70. The total length of the pipeline is 2206 km, of which the section from Puguang to Yichang in mountainous terrain is approximately 800 km, while the section from Yichang to Shanghai in the plain area is about 1206 km. There are 19 gas transmission stations and 74 valve rooms along the line. Construction began on March 25, 2007, and progress is currently going well; the entire system is expected to be operational by June 30, 2009. The highly anticipated Sichuan Gas to East China project officially commenced at the end of August 2007. This project represents another landmark event in the development of China’s natural gas pipeline network, following the West Gas to East China project. Once completed, the pipeline will run through eight provinces and municipalities, including Sichuan and Chongqing in western China, Hubei, Jiangxi, and Anhui in the central region, as well as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai in the eastern Yangtze River Delta region, thus becoming a true cross-regional green energy corridor. According to the plan, the construction of the Sichuan Gas to East China project mainly consists of three parts: the first is the gas field capacity expansion project, which will involve the deployment of 81 production wells, along with the construction of surface gathering and transportation facilities as well as utility systems; it is expected that by the end of 2010, the project will have a production capacity of 12 billion cubic meters of purified gas ； The second is the natural gas purification plant project, which is designed to handle the high levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide present in the Puguang gas field, as well as to purify the natural gas before its transmission. Once completed, it will be able to produce 12 billion cubic meters of purified natural gas per year and 2.83 million tons of sulfur, making it one of the largest natural gas purification plants in the world ； Third is the Sichuan Gas to East China pipeline project. The total length of this pipeline is 2,390 kilometers, of which the main pipeline runs from Puguang in Sichuan in the west to Shanghai in the east, covering a distance of 1,700 kilometers. According to the approved plan, the gas supply from this project will be allocated as follows: while ensuring adequate supply for Sichuan and Chongqing, the main destinations for the gas will be Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, with consideration also given to provinces along the route such as Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi. The project relies primarily on the Puguang gas field as its gas supply source, with the structural areas surrounding the gas field and gas fields such as Tongnanba serving as supplementary and replacement resources. Engineering requirements