Another large-scale long-distance pipeline is in operation! ! The construction drawing design for Line 4 West (Turpan-Zhongwei) has officially commenced!

Recently, China National Petroleum Baji Petroleum Pipe Co., Ltd. successfully shipped the first batch of spiral welded pipes produced for the West-East Gas Pipeline Project Phase IV. These pipes weigh 375 tons, have a diameter of 1219 millimeters, and a wall thickness of 18.4 millimeters. After 5 days of arduous travel, the first batch of steel pipes was delivered to the construction site in Turpan, Xinjiang, starting on August 2. 　　“The West Fourth Gas Pipeline is an important part of China’s \"four major energy corridors\" and the \"five horizontal and five vertical\" gas pipeline network framework. The pipeline runs from the Turpan connection station to the Zhongwei connection station, passing through 17 cities (counties) in the three provinces and regions of Xinjiang, Gansu, and Ningxia. With a total length of 1,745 kilometers, its designed annual gas transmission capacity is 15 billion cubic meters. It represents another major artery for \"green energy\" in China, following the West-East Gas Transmission Lines 1, 2, and 3. 　　As the **leading supplier of pipeline systems and China National Petroleum Corporation’s only specialized manufacturer of welded pipes, Baoji Steel Pipe Company undertook the task of producing 320,000 tons of steel pipes for the \"West Fourth Line\" project. The company regards ensuring efficient service for the \"Xi Si Line\" as an important political task; it strictly adheres to quality control standards, organizes each production step in a streamlined manner, and tightly monitors every testing stage to guarantee the quality of products leaving the factory. 　　In line with the pipeline requirements at the construction site, Baoji Steel Pipe Company optimized its logistics plan based on thorough research, and by using both trucks and trains for delivery, it completed the shipment of the first batch of steel pipes quickly and efficiently. In addition, they arranged for technical personnel to arrive at the construction site in advance to assist the client in efficiently completing the unloading and inspection of the first batch of 14 trucks containing 56 steel pipes. As of August 3, Baoji Steel Pipe had produced a total of 2,881 tons of steel pipes for the \"West Fourth Line\" project, and shipped 827 tons of them, meeting the needs of the construction site.

On July 30, 2021, Western Pipeline Company and its Project Construction Management Branch officially signed the Entrusted Construction Agreement for the Xinjiang and Gansu sections of the West-East Gas Transmission Line 4 project (Turpan-Zhongwei). This marked the thorough implementation of a new project management model based on centralized control, hierarchical management, integration of construction and management, and industry oversight for Line 4, further reinforcing the concept of \"one project, one family, one goal.\" It laid the foundation for achieving seamless integration between the construction management and operational management of oil and gas storage and transportation facilities, as well as for creating benchmark projects, model projects, projects that can last for a century, and high-quality projects for the group company. Zhao Shangxin, General Manager of the Construction Project Management Branch, and Pang Guiliang, Deputy General Manager of Western Pipeline Company, attended the signing ceremony and jointly witnessed the signing of the entrusted construction agreement. The construction of the West-East Gas Transmission Line 4 project (Turpan-Zhongwei) will address the bottleneck issue related to the transportation of newly acquired natural gas resources in the western region, further improve the development of energy transport corridors in that area, ensure a secure supply of energy, and promote the growth of the pipeline network company’s business. This project starts in Turpan, Xinjiang, and ends in Zhongwei, Ningxia, passing through three provinces/regions – Xinjiang, Gansu, and Ningxia – with a total length of 1,745 kilometers. The pipe diameter is 1,219 millimeters, the material grade is X80M, and the design pressure is 12 megapascals. The construction management entrustment agreement is an important document in the process of integrating construction and management. It specifies key aspects such as the matters related to the entrustment of project construction, the roles and communication channels of both parties, cost allocation, and the composition of the joint project team. It serves as an essential basis for Western Pipeline Company and its project management branch to carry out their work and ensure proper management. At the agreement signing ceremony, Pang Guiliang, deputy general manager of Western Pipeline Company, said that the project management model that integrates construction and operation within the group company is a key measure to promote the high-quality development of engineering construction projects. He expressed the hope that, under the leadership of the group company, both parties would continue to implement the \"Guiding Principles on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Engineering Construction Projects for Oil and Gas Storage and Transportation Facilities,\" drawing on the experiences and lessons learned from the construction of the West-East Gas Pipeline Lines 2 and 3. Every aspect, from project design and material procurement to on-site construction and installation and commissioning, should focus on ensuring the intrinsic safety of the pipelines as well as optimizing their functional performance. By making full use of the advantages of this integrated construction-and-operation management model and working together, efforts can be made to deliver satisfactory results for the high-quality development of the group company’s engineering projects. Zhao Shangxin, General Manager of the Construction Project Management Branch, said that Western Pipeline Company has carried out a great deal of effective preliminary work for the West-East Gas Transmission Line 4 project, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent stages of the project. In accordance with the division of responsibilities outlined in the group company’s integration matrix for construction and management, the project management company will actively participate in the preliminary work related to the West-East Gas Pipeline Project Line 4. It will work closely with Western Pipeline Company to ensure seamless coordination, thereby creating new models for integrating construction and management. Together, they will strive to carry out, implement, and complete successfully the major engineering construction tasks assigned by the group company. Zhao Shangxin pointed out that adopting the systematic concept of the entire project lifecycle and implementing an integrated construction management model is a major strategic initiative put forward by the group company to build consensus among all employees, shift project-related thinking, stimulate enthusiasm for construction, and improve project quality. The project management company actively responds to the requirements set by the group company, firmly acting as a supporter, practitioner, and innovator of the integration of construction and management. Through projects that have already begun, such as the South Section of the China-Russia Eastern Pipeline Project, it strives to accumulate relevant experience as quickly as possible, so as to better advance the construction of subsequent key projects and accelerate its growth into a leader in the oil and gas pipeline construction industry. Zhao Shangxin emphasized that the project management company will aim to create a \"century-long project\" for the group company, and will pursue high-quality progress in the construction of the West-East Gas Pipeline Line 4. Together with Western Pipeline Company, they will strive to turn Line 4 into a model project during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. It is necessary to further strengthen communication between the two parties, and discuss in advance solutions to any issues related to equipment and facilities for the lines and stations during project construction, striving to prevent such problems from arising in the early stages of construction ； It is necessary to strengthen the oversight of ongoing and upcoming station construction projects, paying close attention to the quality of each weld and each anti-corrosion treatment, striving to prevent the occurrence of \"black spots,\" and strictly prohibiting any potential quality issues from being carried over into production and operation ； It is necessary to vigorously carry out research on technological and equipment innovation, experiment with and apply new processes, technologies, equipment, and materials, and strive to promote the company’s high-quality development through the Xi Si Line project.

On April 21, 2022, under the proper guidance of various departments within the **Pipeline Network Group Company and with the strong support of all participating units, the first design management consulting project undertaken by the Engineering Technology Innovation Company – the West-East Gas Pipeline Project Line 4 (Turpan-Zhongwei) – was successfully approved by the group company with a score of 82, marking a successful start for the company’s efforts in design management consulting. The West-East Gas Transmission Line 4 project (Turpan-Zhongwei) (hereinafter referred to as “West Line 4 (Turpan-Zhongwei)”): the horizontal length of the pipeline is 1,745 km, the design pressure is 12 MPa, the pipe diameter is 1,219 mm, and the designed gas transmission capacity is 150×10^8 Nm3/year. There are 11 process stations along the pipeline, 41 crossings of large and medium-sized rivers, and 37 crossings of railways. The design management consulting team for Line 4 West overcame numerous difficulties during the company’s early stages, selected a competent project team, and established a design management consulting framework. Upholding the spirit of innovation characterized by \"dual innovation and three highs\" at the company, it always focused on creating value through design management consulting. Through meticulous management, it ensured timely project progress and improved design quality, thereby achieving the goal of cost control. This effort led to the creation of a design management consulting business from scratch, marking a breakthrough from nothing to something.

The design consultation management for Line 4 focuses on optimizing technical solutions, bringing together industry’s top technical experts to strengthen the evaluation, discussion, and review of these solutions, thereby ensuring that they are feasible, cost-effective, safe, and efficient throughout their entire lifecycle. Adhering to DEC and management regulations as guidelines, and using the \"three reviews, two inspections, and one control\" approach as a means, it strengthens the management of design inputs, scheme evaluations, and final product reviews, oversees the implementation of the design quality management system, and improves design quality. Immediately after the initiation of the preliminary design phase, the design units’ various departments are tasked with thoroughly reviewing all deviations from the DEC documents. A table summarizing these deviations is prepared, and after obtaining approval from industry experts, the parties responsible for preparing the DEC documents, as well as the project owner, such actions are carried out. This approach helps to prevent design work from having to be redone due to experts’ objections after review by the group company, thereby improving the quality of the design documents. At the same time, special attention is paid to any significant changes in the technical solutions as compared to those outlined in the preliminary design. Industry experts are brought in to conduct a thorough review of these technical solutions, ensuring that issues are identified early, experts get involved promptly, and solutions are determined early. This approach helps to address problems during the design process, preventing major changes to the design at the final stage of the preliminary design phase, which could otherwise affect the project timeline and costs. Led by a technology-driven design management consulting team, over 40 technical solutions were revised and optimized; 3 of these involved increased investment, amounting to approximately 91 million yuan ； There were 11 cases of reduced investment, amounting to approximately 960 million yuan, thus successfully achieving the management goals set for cost control.