Construction and commissioning of the first and second lines of the first section of the Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline have been completed, the Kazakh Oil and Gas Ministry said, Trend news agency reported.

"Some 30 billion cubic meters of transit gas has been transported so far," the ministry said.

Full completion and commissioning of the first section of the Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline taking into account construction of compressor stations are planned before the end of 2012 with a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters a year, and subsequent expansion to 40 billion cubic meters a year.

In addition, the issue of construction of the third line of the first section of the Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline to increase capacity to 65 billion cubic meters a year is being worked out.

Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline construction is implemented by Kazakh-Chinese project company, Asian Pipeline, created on a parity basis between the KazTransGas and Trans-Asia Gas Pipeline Company Limited.