At 2003 China Pipeline Development & Technical Conference, which was held on October 30, participating experts predicted that the tube industry, as one of the sunrise industries, would grow rapidly in the next 20 years.

The development of the tube industry in China reached its first peak at the end of 1960s and the beginning of 1970s in the last century, and undergone the second upsurge in mid nineties. The year of 2003 is a critical year for the pipeline construction in China, with important progresses made in multiple mega projects, including world-famous West-East Gas Transmission Project, Zhong-Wu Pipeline, Shan-Jing Second Pipeline, Southwest Finished Oil Pipeline, NOOC Bohai Sea Rim Pipeline Project with a coverage of more than 2000 kilometers, etc.

Currently, the pipeline management and technical level in China has gradually closed up the gap with internationally advanced level. Some of the technologies, such as round seam welding, penetrating, etc., have already reached the international level.
According to Mr. Liu Lei, General Manger of China Petroleum Pipeline Corporation, the pipeline transmission of natural gas, compared with other transportation modes such as railway, highroad, aviation, etc., features less investment, low cost, large capacity, low loss, low pollution, continuity, stability, safety and other advantages. In respect of the development of the natural gas pipeline in China, he proposed 7 suggestions: 1) Strengthen the unified planning of the natural gas pipeline network construction; 2) Attach importance to the uniformity of natural gas pipeline management; 3) Expand the investment and continuously improve the technological level of pipeline production; 4) Continuously improve the overall management level of pipeline transportation enterprises; 5) Establish national pipeline maintenance and emergency repair system and equipment failure inspection & testing system; 6) Accelerate the planning and construction of natural gas underground reservoir; 7) Speed up the training of various professional talents needed by the natural gas pipeline industry.

Mr. Pan Jiahua, an expert in oil and gas pipeline, said that the pipeline construction in China had to adapt to the new situations of the market-oriented economy and gradually adopt the mode of driving by the downstream market, i.e., after the upstream reserve is identified, the pipeline direction, transmission volume and other issues will be subject to the downstream market. He also suggested that the three oil industry giants, namely, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (NOOC), make joint efforts in intensifying the scientific research and investment in the field of pipeline safety, so as to further decrease the accident rate of pipeline in China in the 21st century.

- Source: China Engineering Consulting Website (www.cnaec.com)