China Sets Up National Pipeline Company
(Bloomberg) -- China announced the creation of its long-planned national oil and gas pipeline company, officially kicking off one of its biggest energy revamps aimed at helping supply keep pace with swelling demand.
The move marks a “key step” in China’s efforts to deepen reforms of its oil and gas sector, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday.
The government will merge the networks operated by its three state-owned giants under a single company, an important step toward removing barriers that have hampered domestic production, and which dovetails with efforts to use more gas instead of coal.
A main development to watch is the valuation of assets, said Neil Beveridge, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. It may take six to nine months for that detail to emerge, based on a similar reform of telecom carriers in 2015 that created China Tower Corp., Beveridge said.
The pipeline company’s creation has been considered since at least 2014 and is part of President Xi Jinping’s drive to streamline industrial capacity among state-owned enterprises. The government is seeking to spur wider natural gas distribution and upstream exploration by shifting ownership from competing producers into a single operator, which can make decisions based on overall national energy needs.
The reform is also designed to help smaller private or foreign firms, which have found access to infrastructure blocked or prohibitively expensive. With the assets stripped from the hands of the big three state firms, other companies can gain access and move supply to where it’s needed.
Sector Overhaul
The plan follows other Chinese reforms aimed at a more level playing field for private and state-owned enterprises. As well, the nation has been accelerating the overhaul of its energy sector in recent years, including changes to its gas pricing policy and merging power giants.
Media representatives of the new pipeline operator didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. The State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission, which oversees centrally owned enterprises, didn’t respond to a faxed request for comment. Nobody answered calls to the media departments of the three companies involved -- China National Petroleum Corp., Sinopec Group and China National Offshore Oil Corp.
Policy makers have also embarked on a campaign targeting pollution, replacing coal with gas for industrial and residential uses. That’s boosted demand for the cleaner-burning fuel faster than pipelines can support it, giving China added urgency to push forward the latest reform.
Shareholding Structure
The change will mainly affect PetroChina Co., the listed unit of CNPC, which controls about 70% of the nation’s networks. Its shares in Hong Kong sank to their lowest since 2004 last week amid concern the company’s earnings and cash flow would be diluted as it loses one of its most prized assets. The stock rose as much as 2.8% Monday following a gain in oil prices last week.
CNPC may take a 30% stake in the pipeline company, while Sinopec holds 20% and CNOOC 10%, Economic Information Daily and 21st Century Business Herald reported. SASAC will own the remaining 40%, they said, citing unidentified sources.
Zhang Wei, general manager of CNPC, will likely be appointed as chairman of the pipeline company, according to local media.
--With assistance from Ramsey Al-Rikabi, Jing Yang and Aaron Clark.
To contact the reporters on this story:
Alfred Cang in Singapore at acang@bloomberg.net;
Jasmine Ng in Singapore at jng299@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Ramsey Al-Rikabi at ralrikabi@bloomberg.net
Jason Rogers
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- ExxonMobil Racks Up Discoveries in Guyana Block Eyed by Chevron
- Oil Market Sentiment Has Improved Significantly
- EU, US Eye Collaboration on Nuclear Materials
- EU Electricity Export to Ukraine Up 94 Percent in Two Years
- China Coal Output Falls for First Time since Government Ordered More
- USA Driving Activity to Increase to All-Time Highs
- BP Pulse Buys One of Europe's Largest Truck Stops
- UK CCUS Plans Outdated: Think Tank
- TC Energy to Sell Prince Rupert Gas Pipeline Project to First Nation
- I Squared Eyes Full Ownership of Europe Gas Storage Firm
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- EIA Drops 2024 Henry Hub Gas Price Forecast
- EIA and Standard Chartered Offer Up Latest Oil Price Predictions
- Red Sea Region Sees Another Watershed Incident
- Chevron Oil Project in Kazakhstan to Cost $48.5B
- OPEC Voices Encouragement after IEA Affirms Support for Oil Security
- Biden Govt Bares Strategy for Freight Charging, Hydrogen Fueling Infra
- Ukraine Hits Third Russian Refinery In Escalating Drone Strikes
- Rystad Looks at the Buzz Around White Hydrogen
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Is Peak Oil Demand Close?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Reveal Latest Oil Price Forecasts
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Rystad Forecasts Net Production of Top Permian Producers in 2024
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension