"First in China, best in the world" is the BP/CNOOC slogan for this groundbreaking natural gas project.As part of the national policy to improve air quafity and foster economic growth, the Government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is initiating national level projects to facilitate the introduction of cleaner fuels to Chinas major cities. The Guangdong Liquified Natural Gas Terminal and Trunkline Project (hereinafter, the Project) is the first of these initiatives in southern China to supply natural gas to the region. The Project will supply natural gas to power stations and city grids and will contribute to achieving the long-term PRC objective of replacing the use of coal as the primary energy source in the region.Atldns China Ltd was appointed by the British Petroleum Global Investments Ltd (BP) / China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Joint Venture to prepare an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) according to PRC, corporate and international standards. The ESIA included a wide range of disciplines to address both local and regional issues, including air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, noise, terrestrial/freshwater/marine ecology, social impacts, environmental risk, waste management, near and far-field marine water quality and hydrodynamic modelling. A comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to manage the data generated from baseline survey and studies. GIS proved invaluable during the baseline review and allowed the identification of high-risk areas within the major population centers. The ESIA also developed guidelines for pollution control regulations for cold water discharge for the Projects, as no national standards were available.The ESLA affirmed the environmental and social acceptability of the Project and was a successful example resulting from the combined efforts and interaction among corporations, technical institutes, local, regional and national governmental agencies working together to realize the long term benefit of this essential infrastructure.