Русский
Russia’s Gazprom has signed new agreements with its Chinese partners to construct and operate the cross-border section of the Far Eastern gas export route to China. The “Agreement on Design, Construction, and Commissioning of Section 2 Commissioning” and the “Operational Agreement” were signed with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and PipeChina.
These govern the cooperation between the parties in the period during the launch and subsequent operations of the gas pipeline’s trans-border section that crosses the Ussuri River between Russia’s Dalnerechensk and China’s Hulin City and cover issues pertaining to operational control and technical maintenance.”
In February 2022, the long-term Sales and Purchase Agreement for natural gas to be supplied via the Far Eastern route was signed between Gazprom and CNPC. When the project reaches full capacity, the amount of Russian pipeline gas supplied to China will increase by 10 billion cubic meters.
Asia Pacific Energy Consumption
In addition to the cross-border agreement, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Vice Premier of China Ding Xuexiang have additionally discussed key issues around their strategic gas partnership. Meeting at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), the two sides’ cooperation to supply gas to China via the “Eastern” route had been highly successful, with a total of more than 100 billion cubic meters of pipeline gas exported to China to date.
Miller and Ding also discussed prospective projects in the gas industry and expressed their intention of reinforcing a mutually beneficial partnership, which is aimed at developing both countries’ economies.
Miller stated: “In 2024, global gas consumption reached a record level of 4.17 trillion cubic meters, increasing by 100 billion cubic meters over the year. By 2050, global demand for gas will grow at a rate 1.5 times higher than the growth rate of energy consumption as a whole. Thus, by 2050, global gas consumption will increase by almost a third.
Countries in the Asia-Pacific region will play a key role in this growth. In 2024, they accounted for almost 50% of global GDP growth. The region will need significant volumes of natural gas to maintain high economic growth rates.
The Power of Siberia pipeline began supplying gas to China in 2019 as part of a long-term sale and purchase agreement between Gazprom and the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Every year since 2020, supplies from Gazprom have exceeded annual contractual obligations. Daily supply via the Power of Siberia pipeline reached the maximum contractual level on December 1, 2024, ahead of the initial schedule.
A long-term sale and purchase agreement for the supply of natural gas along the Far East route was signed in February 2022. After the full ramp-up was complete, Russia’s pipeline gas exports to China increased by 10 bcm to 48 bcm per year.
Further Reading
Gazprom Boosts Power of Siberia Gas Supplies to China by 35%
