On October 6, 2026, the sixth and seventh sections of the Saudi Arabia National Natural Gas Pipeline Network Phase III Project, constructed by China Petroleum Engineering Construction Company, have achieved an overall progress of over 80% and completed over 678 kilometers of pipeline welding construction. The total length of the project is 696 kilometers, with a contract amount of approximately 5.171 billion Saudi riyals and 7.956 billion RMB. The construction period is 1275 days, and it is expected to achieve mechanical completion by May 31, 2027. After completion, the project will form the main artery of Saudi Arabia's East West Gas Pipeline, significantly increasing the daily gas transmission capacity of the pipeline and meeting the gas demand of King Abdullah Economic City and multiple large gas power plants in western Saudi Arabia.

Domestic intelligent equipment breaks construction record

Six welding units, including domestically produced automatic welding machines, as well as intelligent equipment such as domestically produced self crawling ball passing devices, were widely used in the project construction, promoting comprehensive innovation in construction technology and continuously breaking the record for the largest diameter oil and gas pipeline construction in Saudi Arabia. According to Wang Honghui, a skilled master at Sinopec Group, the project team relied on technological innovation to optimize the process, reducing the single welding time from the industry average of 18 minutes to less than 15 minutes, significantly improving construction efficiency. In terms of safety management, the project department insists on building a safety protection system that covers all employees, processes, and elements. It has not only achieved zero safety accidents during the construction period, but also won the management innovation award from the project owner Saudi Aramco. The project department has also introduced domestically produced VR digital training equipment, allowing employees to learn emergency response methods for more than 20 common construction risk scenarios such as high-altitude falling and fire fighting through VR. As of now, the project has conducted over 130 safety training sessions, with a total of more than 3300 people trained.

Localized employment cultivates 5000 talents

The project department implements the strategy of internationalization of management and localization of employment, and builds a collaborative model of Chinese technical backbone and foreign employees. Li Gan Mia, a foreign welder led by Wang Honghui, has gradually grown into a technical backbone of the welding team, from basic welding techniques to high-temperature operation skills, and even the ability to interpret construction drawings. The unit he works for has achieved an excellent result of 100% welding pass rate for 15 consecutive days and a stable overall pass rate of over 98%. It is reported that the project department has trained more than 5000 standardized pipeline construction skilled personnel for the local area. Keywords: the Belt and Road news network, infrastructure, natural gas

Opportunities and Risks for Going Global

Sinopec's continued deep cultivation in the field of pipeline engineering in Saudi Arabia has provided a clear supply chain entry point for Chinese oil and gas equipment and engineering service enterprises. The project adopts intelligent equipment such as domestically produced automatic welding machines and domestically produced self crawling intelligent ball passing equipment. Six welding units are widely used in China's manufacturing industry. For small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in pipeline welding equipment, non-destructive testing equipment, pipeline anti-corrosion materials, and intelligent ball passing equipment, the access system of Sinopec suppliers can be tracked to explore market opportunities in the Middle East pipeline project. The internationalization of management and localization of employment models have reduced the localization risk of Chinese enterprises in the Middle East market. The project has trained more than 5000 Saudi standardized pipeline construction skilled talents and won the Saudi Aramco Management Innovation Award, indicating that Sinopec's localization management capabilities have been highly recognized by Saudi business owners. The third phase of Saudi Arabia's natural gas pipeline network is a strategic project for the East West Gas Pipeline, and the demand for pipeline supporting equipment is still being released. The sixth and seventh sections constructed by Sinopec have completed over 678 kilometers of welding, and the equipment and service requirements for pipeline welding, anti-corrosion, testing, pressure testing, and other links are still ongoing in the remaining approximately 8 months of the construction period. Risk Warning: The overall progress of the project is currently over 80%, and there are still about 8 months left until mechanical completion in May 2027. The remaining works are affected by factors such as Saudi Arabia's high-temperature construction window period, supply chain, and localized management, and the project schedule is uncertain.Editor/Gao Xue