China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, said a 238-kilometre (148 mile) natural gas pipeline in the northern part of China's southern province Guangdong has started operation.
The state energy giant was involved in the construction of the project, in an aim to help ease an energy supply crunch in the region.
The pipeline includes a trunk line between Shaoguan and Aotou and three branch lines, and will connect to existing 8,400-kilometre pipelines that transfer coal gas from the far western region Xinjiang to Guangdong, according to the statement on Thursday.
The national pipeline operator China Oil and Gas Pipeline Network, known as PipeChina, will manage and operate the new line in northern Guangdong.
