Reports say that PetroChina prepares to sell a stake in its domestic gas pipelines. [File Photo: Xinhua]

It's being reported that PetroChina is discussing selling a stake in its domestic gas pipelines worth around 47 billion US dollars.

The sale is expected to attract domestic interest from Chinese institutions, asset managers and private equity investors.

The move is seen as a prelude to Beijing's plans to break PetroChina's near monopoly and boost spending on energy infrastructure.

PetroChina currently produces two-thirds of China's natural gas, and controls 80 percent of the country's patchy 90,000-kilometre gas pipelines.