CNOOC pledges to restore gas supply by Spring Festival

Zhuhai (CNS) – The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) is working to repair the leaking natural gas pipes in the waters off Zhuhai, a coastal city in south China's Guangdong Province, according to its Shenzhen representative on Thursday.

The residential gas supply will be resumed by the national Spring Festival holiday, the representative said.

Because of the severe weather in the waters where the leak has been spotted, the CNOOC has drawn up two plans to address the problem. The simpler and faster plan is estimated to take ten working days to complete.

If that fails, a plugging solution will be used to isolate the leak source before renovation is carried out, which would take longer, according to the CNOOC spokesperson.

Even if the simpler plan succeeds, resumption of the natural gas supply will require at least 20 days for a thorough clean-up of pipes that total more than 300 kilometers.

In the worst case, the Shenzhen branch of the CNOOC will collaborate with the Zhuhai authority on a substitute plan to make sure holiday demand is met.