Natural gas pipelines spanning 70,000 kilometers are under construction worldwide at a cost of around $194 billion.
Most of the ongoing natural gas pipeline construction is based in Asia, according to data from ‘Global gas pipeline expansion’ report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), San Francisco-based think tank.
According to GEM data, 83% of the natural gas pipelines under construction are being built in Asia at a cost of $117.2 billion.
In Asia, China and India lead the way as they seek to switch from coal to natural gas and have more extensive connections.
Pakistan also continues to build pipelines as it focuses on increasing its natural gas import capacity.
The length of pipelines under construction increased by 18% by the end of 2023 compared to the previous year.
The length of pipelines under construction in Asia total 57,600 kilometers. Also, Europe has 5,600 kilometers under construction followed by 4,700 kilometers in the Americas and 1,800 kilometers in Africa.
The top 10 countries with the most pipelines under construction include China, India, Iran, Russia, Pakistan, the US, Nigeria, Italy, Argentina and Canada.
In China, 30,300 kilometers of pipelines are being built in 150 projects. In addition to the Xinjiang pipeline, the Chaohu-Jiangbei and Hefei Lubei-Chizhou Maya natural gas pipelines are being built in the country.
Russia has 2,900 kilometers of pipelines under construction for $8.2 billion. The expansion, spearheaded by state-owned Gazprom, is driven by the goal of better-connected domestic transmission as well as increased pipeline and onshore LNG terminal export capacity.
Moscow’s focus on the Asian market is also seen as a factor in the acceleration of projects.
Iran is also building a 5,000-kilometer pipeline at a cost of around $18 billion. The 1,200-kilometer IGAT 11 natural gas pipeline is expected to be completed in 2026.
Iran’s neighbor Pakistan is building about 1,800 kilometers of pipelines for gas imports at a cost of $3.7 billion.
According to the report, the planned Iran-Pakistan Pipeline for gas imports from Iran is a decade late. The Iranian section was completed but Pakistan halted construction after the US imposed sanctions on Iran in 2014.
Globally, the length of proposed pipelines and pipelines in the project phase total 159,000 kilometers.
