A workaholic on the China-Myanmar pipeline
- By Xinzhu Xiao
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 28, 2017
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Gao inspects and tests new equipment in the refinery along with team members. [Photo by Zhiqiang Gao/China.org.cn] |
Zhiqiang Gao, a 50-year-old senior engineer in the maintenance department of PetroChina Yunnan Petrochemical Co., Ltd, has not had a day off since Spring Festival.
During the past half year, he and his team members have been working day and night in a new refinery, which is part of the China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline.
Gao is a person who loves challenges. His son described him as a "workaholic who does not know how to relax." No wonder Gao’s team is one of the company’s best.
"The first batch of refined oil products is due in early September. For now we need to check and inspect every single device and make sure they are going well. Any little mistake may cause the delay," he said.
Oil started flowing from Myanmar to China via the China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline on May 19, 2017. The pipeline is 717 kilometers in length, with a transmission capacity of 22 million tons per year.
It starts at Kyauk Phyu in Myanmar's west and enters China at the border city of Ruili in Yunnan Province. Oil flows through the pipeline at a speed of about 50 kilometers per hour before reaching the city of Anning where the refinery is located.
Construction of the refinery began here in 2010 and was completed in 2015.
"I used to work at PetroChina Daqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd in Heilongjiang Province,” Gao said, “About 7 years ago, I was transferred to the Yunnan branch for this new project. My family moved into Yunnan in 2013."
About 1,300 staff members like Gao were hired or transferred to the new refinery in the same year. With a total investment of 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion), it aims to bring Yunnan from the end of the supply chain to a leading position in refined chemical production.
According to Gao, the new refinery is expected to produce 3.76 million metric tons of gasoline, 5.48 million tons of diesel and 1.2 million tons of jet fuel each year.
"Last year we expected the total processing capacity would be 10 million tons per year. But at the beginning of this year, we predicted it would increase to 13 million tons, which is a good thing. It can not only meet demand in Yunnan, but also neighboring Sichuan Province as well as South Asian and Southeast Asian countries," he explained.
The China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline, as well as another gas pipeline, fit into China's Belt and Road Initiative. "I would love to say that I am honored to be involved in this project,” Gao commented.
"The two pipelines will diversify our oil and gas imports, which will no longer have to pass through the Strait of Malacca.”
"In addition, the transmission safety level is higher than shipments by sea, which will ensure a stable energy supply to China," he added.
According to Gao, the project also pays much attention to environmental protection. It has invested more than 3.8 billion yuan (US$560 million) to reduce emissions of dust, smoke and sulfur dioxide.
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