World's longest gas pipeline begins operation

A 5,370-mile (8,700-kilometer) natural gas pipeline linking Turkmenistan with southern China has begun operating, helping boost supplies to the country's booming industrial zones, a report said Thursday. The 142.2 billion yuan ($22 billion) pipeline passes through 15 of China's provinces to reach the Pearl River Delta region, near Hong Kong, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Construction of the pipeline wrapped up earlier this month. The gas pipeline will provide up to 30 million cubic meters of natural gas a year, helping reduce reliance on heavily polluting coal. China has been courting Central Asian former Soviet bloc members like Turkmenistan as part of its push to further diversify and expand its access to the energy resources needed to power its fast-growing economy. A cooling in Russian-Turkmen relations following a gas pipeline explosion in Turkmenistan in 2009 led to a drop in the amount of gas imported by Russia, freeing up supplies that were swiftly bought up by China.