China's longest coalbed methane pipeline starts trial operation

China＇s longest coalbed methane pipeline， the Shenmu－Anping line， has started trial operation， China National Offshore Oil Corporation （CNOOC） said on Thursday．

The pipeline will boost the gas supplying capacity of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces to help ensure supply in the Beijing－Tianjin－Hebei region．

Spanning a total length of 623 kilometers， the pipeline starts from Shenmu City， northwest China＇s Shaanxi Province， and ends in Anping County， north China＇s Hebei Province， covering 17 counties in seven cities of three provinces．

The pipeline transmission capacity can reach 5 billion cubic meters per year， which can meet the demand of 20 million household annually．

The pipeline＇s construction started in July 2020 and completed in two years and four months， five months ahead of schedule．

The pipeline also adopts smart technologies for management and maintenance．

Dai Zhaohui， general manager of a CNOOC affiliate， said，＂A part of the pipeline that has already been put into operation supplied a total of 1．3 billion cubic meters of gas to Shanxi Province and some areas in Hebei Province．＂

The pipeline will supply 500 million cubic meters of gas to north China until spring．

＂The pipeline will maximize the resource value of the two unconventional natural gas production bases in Qinshui Basin and the eastern edge of Erdos Basin，＂ Dai added．