China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline construction resumes amid outbreak

Staff members inspect a section of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline in Heihe, northeast China's heilongjiang province, Nov. 19, 2019. (Xinhua)

Construction of the middle subsection of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline resumed on Wednesday, with over 200 workers on site to accelerate the pace of building.

In Jinzhou, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, a total of 73 workers and 16 machines are carrying out anti-corrosion and earthmoving labor on one of the construction sites, while preparing for the recovery of pipeline welding, according to a statement posted on the pipeline branch of China National Petroleum Corp's WeChat account.

There are 135 more workers and 81 machines at another construction site in Faku County, Liaoning, waiting to resume work on Thursday, the statement read.

The building of the middle subsection began in July 2019. A total of 421 kilometers of pipeline has been welded and construction will be accelerated, it read.

Inaugurated on December 2, the north subsection of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline will help deliver 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia to China in 2020. The amount of natural gas delivered to China via the pipeline will be gradually increased to 38 billion cubic meters per year over a span of 30 years.