OREANDA-NEWS. September 14, 2011. The phase-2 of Kazakhstan-China Gas Pipeline started welding. Commencement ceremony was held on the construction site in Turkistan city, Southern Kazakhstan Oblast, reported the press-centre of CNPC.

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Shukeyev read a congratulatory letter from Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Chinese government representative Liu Tienan, who is Deputy Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission and also chief of National Energy Administration, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Kazakhstan Sauat Mukhametbaevich Mynbayev, KazMunayGas President Kairgeldy Kabyldin, CNPC Vice President Wang Dongjin, Governor of Southern Kazakhstan Oblast Askar Myrzakhmetov, delivered speeches at the commencement ceremony respectively. PetroChina Vice President Sun Bo was also present at the ceremony.

The 1,475 kilometers long pipeline starts from Beyneu, Mangghystau and will meet the Central Asia-China Gas Pipeline at Shymkent. Designed annual capacity of the pipeline is 10 billion cubic meters, and can be expanded to 15 billion cubic meters.