SHANGHAI: China has completed the construction of a coalbed methane pipeline linking the northern provinces of Hebei to Shanxi, according to a statement by China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) on Monday. The pipeline, which CNOOC said met the conditions for commissioning, is 548.95 km in length and can transmit 5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year.

The project, which will be managed by CNOOC subsidiary China United Coalbed Methane Corp, is part of the gas pipeline connecting Shenmu city in Shaanxi province and Anping county in Hebei province that will be more than 620 km long in total.

China’s state planner had approved the pipeline from Hebei to Shanxi in 2019, and this past September approved the section linking Shanxi to Shaanxi.

This cross-region, coalbed methane pipeline which CNOOC calls China’s longest aims to help boost the development of coalbed methane, a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds.