China's state-controlled Sinopec's Wei11 gas storage facility commenced operations on 18 October, marking the completion of the largest group of underground gas storage facilities in north China with total storage capacity of 10.03bn m³.

This puts China on track to having sufficient gas storage for use during the 2021-22 winter season. This is especially important for north China where winter temperatures are typically the lowest and most extreme in the country.

Wei11 is one of the three storage facilities that make up the Zhongyuan gas storage facility. The other two include the first phase of fellow Chinese state-controlled PipeChina's Wen23 that has hit its injection target earlier than planned last month, and Sinopec's Wen96.

The newly-commissioned Wei11 gas storage facility has a design capacity of 1.009bn m³ including cushion gas and a maximum daily peak capacity of 5mn m³, which can meet the gas consumption needs of 10mn households daily Construction began in February.

Sinopec's other gas storage facilities such as Wen13 West and Bai9 in the Zhongyuan oilfield area will be completed and begin operations by the end of 2021, adding another 1.116bn m³ of storage capacity. Sinopec will hold 1.69bn m³ of working gas in its storage sites by the end of October, 15.5pc higher than the same period last year.

Sinopec plans to procure up to 24.2bn m³ of LNG from overseas, and run its LNG terminals at full capacity in order to secure China's heating needs during the 2021-22 winter season.

China's main economic planning agency the NDRC has also approved construction of Sinopec's 6mn t/yr Longkou LNG terminal project, which is connected to the Wen23 gas storage facility.