Asia's biggest oil refiner, China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (Sinopec), reported Monday that it has begun pumping gas through the Sichuan-Shanghai natural gas pipeline.

The project, which broke ground in August 2007, was designed to carry 12 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to Shanghai from Puguang, the country's second largest gas field, in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

In total, Sinopec invested 62.68 billion yuan (9.19 billion U.S. dollars) in the project, said a statement from the company.

Traversing eight provinces or municipalities, including Chongqing city, Zhejiang and Hubei provinces, the 1,700-kilometer pipeline, will service Shanghai and the other areas along its length.