(Yicai Global) Sept. 28 -- State-owned China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. [SHA:600028;HKG:0836;NYSE:SNP;LSE:SNP], better known as Sinopec, has officially started construction of the Hunan section of its coal gasification transmission pipeline in Xinjiang, Shanghai Securities News reported today.

Sinopec Oilfield Service Corp. [SHA:600871] will build the pipeline, which includes a 4,500-meter stretch running across the Yangtze River. The section will be a key part of the Xinjiang gas pipeline project, as it has one of the longest stretches through rivers and lakes among similar projects either at home or abroad, making it one of the toughest to build, the report added.

The Xinjiang gas pipeline is a major energy project in China's development plan for natural gas. A total of 856 kilometers long, the line runs through areas with complex terrain, crossing rivers 34 times and passing through 13 tunnels for 19.3 kilometers. The pipeline will also pass through rail lines or roads 89 times.

Sinopec Oilfield Service boasts extensive experience in building oil and gas pipelines that run through rivers and lakes, and has China's largest targeted drilling machine. It has successfully built lines through the Yellow River, Han River, Huangpu River, the Blue Nile and other major rivers in and out of China. The longest such pipeline it has built in such conditions has a total length of 3,075 meters.

The research, development and application of various professional techniques will help Sinopec Oilfield Service play a big role in the construction of the Xinjiang gas pipeline and lay a solid foundation for its completion, the report said.