“Before the pipeline gas entered the village, everyone used liquefied gas in tanks. Refilling the tanks at the liquefied gas station was not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also potentially hazardous. Now using natural gas can save a lot of money. It can be easily paid with a smartphone, which is convenient and saves money,” said Sheng Junliang, Party secretary and director of the Village Committee of Yantou in the subdistrict of Yunshan, Lanxi. He recognized the changes brought about by the introduction of pipeline gas into the village and households.

As one of the three pilot cities in Zhejiang for a project of gas pipeline development—Connecting Villages—Lanxi regards the introduction of gas pipelines into villages and households as a crucial starting point for promoting urban-rural integration and improving the quality of life of rural residents. Lanxi established a coordinated workgroup and identified the locations of Yantou Village of Yunshan Subdistrict, and Shencun Village of Shanghua Subdistrict as pilot villages for the gas project. Relevant pipeline gas companies oversee the gas network outside the pilot area, the construction of the pipeline network, household gas facilities, and LNG small storage tank supply systems.

The two pilot villages have completed the construction of all pipeline gas facilities so far, and a total of 530 villagers have installed pipeline gas. This will generate savings totaling 50% of the gas cost per household, meaning that each household can save at least 800 RMB per year.

Along the path of pipeline construction in the pilot villages, many villagers spontaneously requested the laying of gas pipelines to their households. Up to now, nearly 20 villages in Lanxi have completed the laying of pipeline gas.

In the future, Lanxi will continue to expand the village-level pipeline gas network. There are plans to connect 40 villages to the network by 2023, and 55 villages will be connected to gas pipeline by 2025. (Chen Zhiheng—Jinhua Daily, translated by Marco Lovisetto, edited by Daniel Haws)