LHASA - The first natural gas station in Lhasa, capital of northwest China's Tibet autonomous region, was completed and put into operation by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) on Wednesday.

Lhasa had been the only capital city without natural gas, and relied solely on diesel fuel, coal and liquefied petroleum gas, said Deng Xiaogang, deputy chairman of the region, at the opening ceremony of the station.

Construction began in March 2010 and plans for the project include three phases.

The first phase includes one central gas station and two smaller stations, which all receive gas from the liquefied natural gas plant in Golmud, the second largest city in neighboring Qinghai province, said Zong Yiping, general manager of Qinghai Oilfield Company of CNPC.

The station can provide 30 million cubic meters of natural gas for Lhasa annually, which is equal to 36,000 tonnes of coal and reduces 24,500 tonnes of carbon and dust emissions. The gas is expected to be enough for one-third of Lhasa's population as well as all taxis, buses and the city's economic zone, said Li Hualin, vice president of CNPC.