Workers completed a pipeline connection over the weekend that signals the start of a new supply system served by huge natural gas resources in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the East China Sea.

The inner-city pipeline, combining natural gas from both the east and west, will ensure a stable supply for Shanghai.

Having two sources of supply will be especially important in case breakdowns occur in either of the main pipelines outside the city.

Residents of the Pudong New Area started using natural gas from the Pinghu gas field in the East China Sea since 1999. Gas from a 4,200-kilometer pipeline linking Xinjiang with eastern China began flowing to Puxi residents in January. The project's completion will also help speed up the switch from coal gas to natural gas in Minhang, Xuhui and Changning districts.

Shanghai is shifting to natural gas and other forms of cleaner energy as part of its environmental improvement efforts.

Shanghai residents are expected to use 6 billion cubic meters of natural gas by 2010, with about 5.4 million homes connected to the system.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2004)