As of August 25, 2016, the West-to-East Gas Pipeline II had supplied more than 435 million cubic meters of natural gas to the five prefecture-level cities along the Hexi Corridor, with an average annual supply exceeding 90 million cubic meters, benefiting millions of residents. Whether for cooking, daily transportation, winter heating, or industrial use, natural gas has become increasingly indispensable to the daily lives of people in the Hexi Corridor.

In recent years, with the rapid economic development and rising living standards in the five Hexi cities, their total energy consumption has maintained a rapid growth trend, placing significant pressure on energy conservation and emission reduction. During the initial construction of the West-to-East Gas Pipeline II, offtake stations were reserved for each of the five Hexi cities through comprehensive research and planning. The gas supply branch projects for the five Hexi Corridor cities are supporting facilities of the West-to-East Gas Pipeline II, covering Jiuquan, Jiayuguan, Zhangye, Jinchang, and Wuwei, along with 8 subordinate districts, counties, and towns. The total length of these pipelines is approximately 105 kilometers. Construction of these branch projects commenced in May 2010. As an integral part of the West-to-East Gas Pipeline II, they have further improved the natural gas supply network in the Hexi Corridor and laid the foundation for optimizing the local energy structure.

Since April 21, 2011, the Jiayuguan Branch Line of the West-to-East Gas Pipeline II, operated by the Jiuquan Oil and Gas Transmission Branch of China Petroleum West Pipeline Co., Ltd., was successfully commissioned on the first attempt. Subsequently, the Wuwei, Jinchang, Zhangye, and Jiuquan Branch Lines were also successfully put into operation one after another. The construction and commissioning of these five gas supply branch projects have filled the gap in natural gas supply across the Hexi Corridor.

Over the past five years, natural gas sourced from Central Asia has injected new impetus for development into these five major towns along the ancient Silk Road. It has played an increasingly crucial role in “Gasifying Gansu”, optimizing the local energy mix, and boosting the development of the Belt and Road Initiative. This has effectively alleviated local pressure on energy conservation and emission reduction, driven the development of related industries, and substantially improved the quality of life for local residents.