The first diesel oil through the pipeline from Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu Province, arrived in the Chongqing Municipality via Chengdu on October 18 and has been sub-transported to oil storage stations along the pipeline, said Shi Xingquan, vice-president of PetroChina.

The completion of the pipeline, which is listed as one of the 12 vital projects in the central government's implementation of the "go west" strategy, is conducive to the development of rich petroleum resources in Northwest China and will fully utilize existing refining capacities. Using the speed, stability, safety and reliability of pipeline transportation, the link will solve oil shortages in Southwest China.

Oil consumption in Sichuan and Chongqing is 4.4 million tons a year and more than 90 per cent of the product was traditionally transported by rail, which could not cope with increasing demand.

In addition to ensuring a steady oil supply, the pipeline can save up to 150 million yuan (US 18 million) in transportation fees a year, according to PetroChina.

With an investment of nearly 4 billion yuan (US$483 million) from PetroChina, the construction of the pipeline started in 1998.

With an annual transportation capacity of more than 5 million tons, the 1,250-kilometre pipeline starts in the Xigu District in Lanzhou, passes 40 counties, cities and districts in Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces and the Chongqing Municipality and ends in the Dadukou District in Chongqing.

Ultrasonic waves are used to differentiate between oil products, enabling the transportation of a number of products within the single pipeline - it is the first example of the cutting-edge technology in China.

The pipeline winds over diverse topography that includes the Loess Plateau, Mount Qinling, the Daba Mountains and the Chengdu Plain. The testy conditions make the link an unprecedented example in the history of domestic pipeline construction.

(China Daily November 11, 2002)