Russia finalizing second gas pipeline route to China

Russian authorities say a decision on the route planned for the country’s second gas pipeline to China, known as Power of Siberia-2, is at the final stage.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in comments published on Wednesday that Power of Siberia-2, which will carry natural gas from areas in western Siberia to China, will traverse Mongolia after passing through regions south of Lake Baikal in Russia’s Buryatia.

In an article for Russia’s energy ministry's in-house magazine, Novak, a former energy minister, said the pipeline will pass near the eastern Siberian cities of Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kansk, Sayansk, Angarsk and Irkutsk before reaching Buryatia.

The announcement comes as Russia is trying to compensate losses suffered because of reduced energy supplies to Europe amid a war in Ukraine.

Russia’s existing Power of Siberia pipeline to China transfers some 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year of natural gas to the world's top energy consumer under a contract that runs until 2025.

Moscow hopes the new pipeline will increase the amount of gas delivered to China by 50 bcm per year.

State energy company Gazprom plans to start gas delivery to China via Power of Siberia-2 by 2030.

Russia’s plans for increased gas exports to China comes some two years after planned gas deliveries via a new major pipeline to Europe, known as Nord Stream 2, came to a complete halt after European countries followed the United States in imposing sanctions on Moscow over its involvement in the war in Ukraine.

Russia then decided to boost its trade with Asia by ramping up energy exports to China and India, among other countries.

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