Clock ticking on China’s long-awaited pipeline reform

Construction of the WEP 2 system in China. (CNPC)

September could be the last chance in 2019 for China’s energy policymakers to formally announce a landmark plan to combine the vast oil and gas pipeline networks of the country's three NOCs into one company. The reform is intended to spur wider gas distribution and upstream exploration, and would represent the boldest reshuffle of the state-dominated oil and gas industry in decades.

The reform is expected to pave the way for further liberalisation of China’s energy sector. In theory, the pipeline company should give equal access...