With a capacity of 10.03 billion cubic meters, Wei 11 is said to be the largest underground natural gas storage cluster in the northern part of the country
Sinopec puts the Wei 11 gas storage facility into operation. (Credit: SINOPEC)
China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec) announced that the Wei 11 gas storage facility built in the Zhongyuan oilfield region has completed its first gas injection.
The move marks the start of the official operation of the largest underground natural gas storage cluster in northern China, said the company.
The Wei 11 gas storage facility has a capacity of 10.03 billion cubic meters.
Sinopec claimed that the facility would become a strong resource guarantee for the storage of gas as well as for peak shaving in north China and the Yellow River Basin from winter to spring. Besides, it will help in maintaining a steady gas supply.
The company’s Zhongyuan gas storage cluster now comprises three blocks, which include Wen 23, Wen 96, and Wei 11.
According to the Chinese firm, the Wei 11 gas storage facility is said to be an important part of establishing a natural gas storage cluster, which has reached a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters.
Located at the junction of the Henan and Shandong provinces, the block is designed to hold 1.009 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
The largest daily capacity for peak shaving of the Wei 11 gas storage facility is five million cubic meters. This is enough to handle the daily demands for gas for 10 million households.
Additionally, Sinopec intends to put its Wen 13 West and Bai 9 gas storage facilities within the Zhongyuan oilfield region into operations before the end of the year, after the completion of their construction and gas injection.
After the two facilities are operational, the company will add an estimated gas storage capacity of 1.116 billion cubic meters, thereby further increasing its capacities for gas storage and peak shaving.
Recently, Sinopec had started operations at phase 1 of the Gulei refining complex in the Fujian province in China. The phase 1 of the refining complex was developed with an investment of around $4.28bn.