China Plans to Upgrade Urban Aging Pipelines (Part 1)

▲Safety examination of gas pipelines and facilities in Longkou City, Shandong Province. [People]

The State Council has approved the implementation plan to upgrade aging pipelines, especially gas pipelines in cities.

Urban （including county town） aging pipeline upgrade and renewal is an important development project to improve people's livelihoods, which is conducive to maintaining the safety of people’s lives and property, maintaining the safe operation of cities, and promoting effective investment as well as expanding domestic demand. Besides, the pipeline renewal project is vital to promote urban regeneration and better satisfy the people's needs for a better life. This implementation plan is formulated to speed up the aging pipeline upgrade and renewal.

1. General Requirements.

1.1 Guiding ideology.

To follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, implement the guiding principles of the Party’s 19th National Congress and all plenary sessions of the 19th Party Central Committee, under the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, upheld the people-centered philosophy, apply the new development philosophy in full, in the right way, and in all fields of endeavor, coordinate development and security, adhere to the appropriate advanced construction and aging renewal of infrastructure, accelerate urban gas pipelines and other aging pipelines to upgrade and renovate, improve the system of utility infrastructure to ensure safe operation, enhance the resilience of cities while promoting high-quality development to make people live a safer, more comfortable and better lives.

1.2 Working Principles.

Focus on key issues and keep safety first. Put the people first, accelerate the upgrade and renewal of urban gas and other aging pipelines and facilities under the law to protect people’s lives and property. Focus on key issues, investigate and govern urban pipeline safety hazards and immediately upgrade the urban gas pipeline and other aging pipelines with salient safety risks, to promote the safe and sustainable development of utility infrastructure.

Make clear knowledge of the actual situation and promote systematic governance. Carry out a comprehensive census and scientific assessment, and urge all localities to formulate plans for the renewal of urban aging pipelines. Insist on goal-oriented and issue-oriented, actively introduce new equipment, new technologies, and new techniques, and systematically launch the aging pipeline upgrade and renewal projects.

Implement policies and coordinate management adapted to local conditions. Scientifically determine the renewal scope and standards based on the local situation, clarify the objectives and tasks, avoid a “one-size-fits-all approach”， do not set down indicators at different levels, and avoid campaign-style approaches. Take the city as an organic life form, coordinate and promote the renewal and upgrade of urban gas pipelines as well as other aging utility infrastructure to avoid “road zippers”。

Put equal emphasis on construction and management while launching long-term management. Strictly implement the responsibilities of all departments, and strengthen the management of the whole process of examination assessment and renewal, and renovation while ensuring quality and safety. Adhere to addressing both the symptoms and the root causes, perfect the management system and regulations, strengthen the operation and maintenance of urban gas pipelines, and improve the long-term safety management mechanism.

1.3 Work objectives.

Based on a comprehensive understanding of all aging pipelines in cities in terms of gas, water, drainage, heating, etc., urge to plan and deploy, and improve the policy system and work mechanism to adapt to the needs of upgrading, accelerate the upgrading projects of urban gas pipelines and other aging pipelines to eliminate potential safety risks. By 2022, a bath of upgrading projects will be soon launched. All aging pipeline upgrading projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

2. Key Tasks.

2.1 Specify the upgrading objectives.

The upgrading objects are specified as aging urban gas, water, drainage, and heating pipelines and facilities which are made of out-of-date materials and not in line with related standards. Serving a long time, the old pipelines may have potential safety risks. Specifically include:

Gas pipelines and facilities. （1） Municipal pipelines and courtyard pipelines. （2） Riser pipes （including introduction pipes and horizontal trunk pipes）。 （3） Plant stations and facilities. （4） User facilities.

Other pipelines and facilities. （1） Water supply pipes and facilities. （2） Drainage pipes. （3） Heating pipes.

Each region can further refine the upgrading objects based on the actual condition. Areas with better basic conditions can be appropriately enhanced with the upgrading requirements.

2.2 Rationally determine the upgrading standards.

According to local realities, all localities should resolve potential safety hazards, prevent and defuse risks, insist on safety first and meet demands, and scientifically determine the upgrading standards. The materials, specifications, technologies, etc. selected for the upgrade of aging urban pipelines and facilities should be in line with

the relevant standards with a focus on both the current situation and the long term. Combined with the upgrade, intelligent sensing equipment should be installed at the vital nodes of the gas pipelines synchronously, the intelligent monitoring system should be improved to achieve intelligent operation, and firefighting facilities and equipment need also to be improved with the target to enhance the ability to prevent fires and other accidents. The upgrading standards of other urban aging pipelines and facilities such as water supply, drainage, heating, etc. should be determined regarding the above contents.

2.3 Launch the general examination of urban pipelines and facilities.

Local city governments should launch comprehensive gas pipelines examination and invite qualified third-party inspection and evaluation institutions and professional units to evaluate whether the pipelines are too old. Simultaneously promote the examination of urban water supply, drainage, heating, and other pipelines and facilities, establish and improve the comprehensive management information platform of urban municipal infrastructure, enrich the primary information data such as urban gas pipelines, improve the dynamic update mechanism to draw a real-time update of information map.

2.4 Prepare local upgrading plans for urban aging pipelines.

Combined with the national urban safety investigation and rectification, the provincial government should urge the competent authorities at the provincial and city （county） levels to take the lead in organizing the preparation of the provincial and the city’s aging gas pipeline renewal and upgrading plans.

The provincial governments should also urge the competent authorities at the provincial and city （county） levels to organize the preparation of other aging pipelines such as water supply, drainage, heating, etc. renewal and upgrading plans synchronously, clarify the project list and annual upgrading plan as an annex of the renewal plans, align with the urban aging gas pipeline renewal and upgrading plan with integrated implementation, to promote the urban underground facilities to form a layout with vertical layers and close horizontal connections.

Source:

<http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2022-06/10/content_5695096.htm>

http://english.www.gov.cn/policies/latestreleases/202206/10/content_WS62a312dfc6d02e533532bf63.html