Under the scorching sun, a steel dragon is quietly passing through the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia. Welding flowers dance with yellow sand, intelligent equipment engages in dialogue with the millennium Silk Road. The builders of China and Saudi Arabia welded the energy artery with millimeter precision, and wrote a new footnote for win-win cooperation of the the Belt and Road on the construction site of the East West Gas Transmission Project.

Welding flowers and reflecting sand to build pipelines

A natural gas pipeline winds along the sand dunes in the western part of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Welding sparks splattered in the welding shed, and skilled master Wang Honghui is verifying the accuracy of the welding joints, requiring strict control of errors within millimeters. This project is the core project of Saudi Arabia's East West Gas Pipeline. After the 700 kilometer section constructed by Shigong Construction is put into operation, it will significantly enhance the gas transmission capacity, meet the gas demand in western Saudi Arabia, and help the local energy transformation.

The project team has compressed the duration of single port welding through technological innovation, and has broken the local record for large-diameter pipeline construction with intelligent equipment such as domestic automatic welding machines. Currently, the overall progress has exceeded 80%, and 678 kilometers of welding have been completed. The project implements the "Chinese backbone+foreign employees" model, and has trained more than 5000 pipeline construction skilled personnel locally, with multiple foreign welders growing into technical backbone.

Smart guarding of construction site safety line

In the project safety training base, Saudi employees are wearing Chinese made VR devices to immerse themselves in emergency response to construction risk scenarios such as scaffold falls. The project department has established an intelligent monitoring system covering over 160 operation points along a 700 kilometer pipeline, enabling panoramic inspections of construction vehicles and work sites. Targeted emergency drills have also been conducted, and Saudi Aramco experts have been invited to jointly design safety courses. At present, more than 130 training sessions have been conducted, covering more than 3300 people, achieving zero accidents throughout the construction process, and winning the Saudi Aramco Management Innovation Award. Keywords: China Saudi Arabia energy cooperation, intelligent construction, the Belt and Road, East to West gas transmission

Growing hand in hand in the sand

Isa Motelli, a Saudi employee, has just finished studying Chinese culture and shared his knowledge of Chinese path to modernization with his colleagues, which inspired many local employees to visit China. During the project construction process, Zhongsha employees collaborated deeply, and many local employees grew from grassroots positions to management and technical backbone. The owner specially issued a certificate of gratitude for the project, affirming the team's efficient performance and technological innovation achievements. In the final stage of the project, the team will continue to promote high-quality construction and contribute to the energy optimization goals of Saudi Arabia's 2030 vision.Editor/Gong Ziwei