China-Russia Oil Pipeline Officially Starts Operations

People attend the inauguration ceremony of China and Russia crude oil pipeline in Mohe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 1, 2011. The nearly 1, 000 km-long China and Russia crude oil pipeline starts its full operation here on January 1st 2011 and it will carry 15 million tons of crude oil annually from Russian oilfields into China in the next 20 years from 2011 to 2030. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

MOHE, Heilongjiang, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- An oil pipeline linking Russia's far east and northeastern China started operating Saturday.

At 11:50 a.m., Yao Wei, general manager of Pipeline Branch of Petro China Co., Ltd. (PBPC), pushed a button in the China-Russia border county of Mohe in Heilongjiang Province, marking the official start of operations after a two-month trial.

PBPC is the operator of the Chinese section of the pipeline.

"The operation of the China-Russia crude oil pipeline is the start of a new phase in China-Russia energy cooperation," Yao said.
He said the pipeline will improve the nation's energy-imports structure and promote economic development.

The 1,000-km-long pipeline will transport 15 million tonnes of crude oil annually from Russia to China from 2011 to 2030.

Source: Xinhua