Kazakhstan launches construction of gas pipeline to China
The construction of a natural gas pipeline to link energy-rich Kazakhstan with China began on Wednesday, the Kazakh construction company Kazstroiservis said according to RIA Novosti.
The pipeline, Kazakhstan's first natural gas export route to external markets bypassing Russia, is expected to be completed in June 2010 and have an initial capacity of 4.5 billion cubic meters annually, Kazstroiservis said.
The new gas route is part of a larger project to build a system of pipelines running from Turkmenistan across Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to energy-hungry China.
The gas pipeline is expected to eventually pump 40 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year by late 2013, including 30 billion cu m for China and 10 billion cubic meters for Kazakhstan.