On June 8, at the recently held 2026 Oil and Gas Infrastructure Planning, Construction and Pipeline Protection Work Conference, China's National Energy Administration made it clear that 2026 is the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and that investment in oil and gas infrastructure construction should be further increased, so as to ensure that major projects under the 15th Five-Year Plan are launched whenever possible and invested in whenever possible.

　　The conference noted that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, notable progress was made in the construction of oil and gas pipeline networks and gas storage capacity, which effectively responded to multiple rounds of geopolitical conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US-Israel-Iran tensions, as well as the impact of extreme weather, and that the resilience and flexibility of the oil and gas market were significantly enhanced.

　　The conference made it clear that planning coordination between inter-provincial and intra-provincial oil and gas pipeline networks should be strengthened, and the mechanisms for accessing and using pipeline network facilities should be improved, so as to ensure that pipelines conforming to government planning are connected to national trunk pipelines whenever possible. It is necessary to continuously improve the "national unified network" for oil and gas, steadily expand the scale of oil and gas reserves, advance the coordinated development of pipeline transportation systems for oil, gas and hydrogen-based energy, and better serve the building of a new energy system.

　　The conference stressed that efforts should focus on key links such as the removal of pipeline encroachments, control of third-party construction, and handling of engineering encounters and crossings, and that risk prevention and response should be comprehensively strengthened. It is necessary to enhance science and technology empowerment for pipeline protection, actively promote new artificial intelligence technologies, and expand new pipeline inspection models such as drone patrols in areas where conditions permit.

　　The conference required that great attention be paid to and every effort made to ensure natural gas supply during the summer peak period; upstream gas supply enterprises should assume the primary responsibility for ensuring gas source supply, China Oil & Gas Pipeline Network Corporation should assume the primary responsibility for the safe operation of pipelines, and provincial energy authorities should actively perform their territorial responsibilities for natural gas supply, making every effort to ensure mutual support for gas sources, regional mutual assistance and gas-electricity coordination, so as to meet the energy needs of economic development and the public. (End)

Source:China News Service