Sinopec Starts Major Gas Pipeline Early

China's Sinopec Corp said on Thursday it had started to operate the first phase of the Erdos-Anping-Cangzhou pipeline project in northern China, ahead of an expected operational date of early 2019.

The pipeline, which connects gas production in the Erdos basin and users in Hebei province, is expected to supply a maximum 10 million cubic metres of gas a day during peak heating season, Sinopec said on its social media platform.

The project is designed to transport 30 billion cubic metres a year and includes one trunk line and five branch lines, with total length of 2,293 kilometers (1424.8 miles).

The company said in April that the pipeline will also be linked to its liquefied natural gas terminal in Tianjin, near Beijing that started early this year.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)