The construction of the second branch of the China-Russian oil pipeline began in the northeast of China

Almaty. August 17. Silkroadnews –  China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has announced the beginning of construction of the second branch of the China-Russian oil pipeline in the area Dzhagdachi of Heilongjiang Province (Northeast China), «Xinhua» agency informed.

«The second branch starts in Mohe County, Heilongjiang Province, passes through the territory of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and ends at Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province. It will be connected to the first branch, which has already been built and put into operation», the publication says.

The total length of the pipeline shall make around 940 km; the design capacity is 15 million tonnes of oil per year. According to the plan, construction of the new branch will be completed by the end of October 2017, and the formal entry into commercial operation is scheduled for January 1, 2018.

In June 2013 CNPC and the Russian company «Rosneft» signed a contract to build commercial crude oil exports to China providing for increase in the volume of supplies through the second branch of the China-Russian oil pipeline up to 15 million tonnes of oil per year as from January 2018.

The first branch of the oil pipeline was put into commercial operation on January 1, 2011.