On August 22, national pipeline operator data confirmed that the Khorgas compressor station, the first station on the second and third West-East Gas Pipeline routes, has now delivered over 600 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Situated at a crucial hub along the Belt and Road Initiative, the Khorgas station is responsible for moving both cross-border gas from Central Asia and coal-based gas from Yili to central and eastern China. With an annual transmission capacity of 60 billion cubic meters, it holds the largest single-station installed capacity in Asia.
Since beginning operations in 2009, the station has maintained safe, stable operation for more than 6,000 consecutive days, with peak daily throughput reaching 163 million cubic meters. According to Dong Hao, an operations staff member at the Khorgas work area under PipeChina's Western Pipeline branch, 600 billion cubic meters of natural gas is equivalent to replacing roughly 798 million tonnes of standard coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by over 877 million tonnes. This clean energy, flowing through the West-East Gas Pipeline system, supports daily consumption needs for more than 500 million people.
The Khorgas station has now deployed a full-chain intelligent operations and maintenance system, integrating equipment such as gimbal-mounted laser methane detectors, machine-vision AI analytics, and compressor smart diagnostic systems. These tools provide comprehensive situational awareness and centralized control, marking a shift from manual inspection routines to intelligent, integrated management. In addition, the station built China's first waste-heat power generation project at a gas transmission site, using residual heat from gas-driven compressor units. The system achieves zero direct emissions from station units while generating more than 65 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
Zhao Jilong, head of the Khorgas work area under PipeChina's Western Pipeline branch, said the next step involves making fuller use of smart technologies to keep the second and third West-East Gas Pipeline routes running safely and steadily, ensuring over 100 million cubic meters of natural gas reach communities nationwide every day.