Urumqi in Xinjiang province
China boosts Central Asian gas links
Beijing’s decision to expand the gas pipeline network linking it to Central Asia may threaten Russia’s eastern pivot
Pipechina has started construction on the fourth trunk of China’s West-East Pipeline (WEP) system, the state-owned company says. The route forms the backbone of the country’s gas supply infrastructure, including underpinning China’s ability to bring supply from Central Asia. The segment being built will run 1,745km from the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi to a terminal in Zhongwei county in China’s Ningxia region, where the three existing WEP trunks converge. WEP 4 will eventually be extended from Zhongwei to the financial hub of Shanghai, covering a total of 3,340km once all segments are completed. The WEP system is designed mainly to transport gas imported from Central Asia to the ener
Also in this section
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce
17 February 2026
Eni’s chief operating officer for global natural resources, Guido Brusco, takes stock of the company’s key achievements over the past year, and what differentiates its strategy from those of its peers in the LNG sector and beyond
16 February 2026
As the third wave of global LNG arrives, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, discusses with Petroleum Economist the outlook for Europe’s gas market in 2026
