(Yicai Global) Oct. 11 -- The western section of China's West-East Gas Pipeline has officially entered operation after passing a final inspection by China National Petroleum Corp., Chinese news outlet The Paper reported yesterday.

A major part of the nation's eleventh 'Five-Year Plan,' which ran from 2006 through 2010, the West-East Gas Pipeline is the first strategic on-land pipe importing foreign natural gas into China. The line begins in Horgos, in the western autonomous region of Xinjiang, through to Hong Kong, and spans a total of 8,704 kilometers. The pipe is the longest of its kind, supplying a greater area and more recipients than any other.

The pipe, which received a total investment of CNY142.2 billion (USD21.55 billion), is China's first overseas natural gas line. It runs at a higher pressure and has a larger capacity than any other in the country.

China National Petroleum has carried out environmental restoration plans since cutting lines in Tianshan Forest and Sayram Lake in Xinjiang. It has dubbed the western pipe section the National Soil and Water Conservation Demonstration Project.