The pipeline was put into trial operation on 1 October 2004, and the full commercial supply of natural gas commenced on 1 January 2005.
Originally, it was agreed that PetroChina would have owned 50% of the pipeline, while Royal Dutch Shell, Gazprom, and ExxonMobil had been slated to hold 15% each, and Sinopec 5%.
[2] The 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) long pipeline runs from Lunnan in Xinjiang to Shanghai.
[4] Natural gas transported by the pipeline is used for electricity production in the Yangtze River Delta area.
The pipeline is supplied from the Tarim Basin oil and gas fields in Xinjiang province.
Starting from 15 September 2009, the pipeline is also supplied with coalbed methane from the Qinshui Basin in Shanxi.
[12] It will cross Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces.