Newly opened pipeline starts leaking gas near Kunming

Workers operate through the night to seal off the gas leak. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

A pipeline that started transporting natural gas from Myanmar to China just 13 days ago began leaking near a tunnel on the highway from Kunming to Shilin on Tuesday.

The leak was brought under control after experts turned off the upstream and downstream valves and released all the gas in the section. An investigation is underway to spot the source of the leak.

The gas pipeline is an important channel of transporting gas from Myanmar to China.

The pipeline, which has been in operation since June 10, has total length of 91.5 kilometers and an input capacity of 903 million cubic meters per year, which can meet the demand of seven million users.

In 2015, the natural gas use supplied by the Kunming east branch is expected to be 78 million cubic meters.