Русский
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has said that Moscow is considering a new potential route for exporting gas to China capable of supplying up to 35 billion cubic meters a year via Kazakhstan. He was speaking at the ‘Sprouts: Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation’ international forum held last week in Kazan.
Novak said that the project is at an early stage of development. “For now, it’s just an idea being discussed. We’re looking at a potential new route with our Chinese friends via Kazakhstan, which could be up to 35 billion cubic meters of gas a year. The potential gas pipeline’s route will pass through eastern Kazakhstan. We have big plans and potential for expanding cooperation in energy. Currently, about one third of our total trade turnover is in energy. We cooperate in all areas. Last year, oil supplies to China amounted to 107 million tonnes, covering 20% of China’s demand for this energy resource.”
Russia has already exported around 40 billion cubic meters of gas via gas pipelines and as liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China this year, he said.
“We supplied around 40 billion cubic meters of gas to China. As you know, the flagship project, Power of Siberia, is being implemented, and its maximum capacity which we will reach next year will be 38 billion cubic meters of gas. We have also signed an agreement to build another new gas pipeline – the Far Eastern route, which will extend the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok pipeline, which has a total capacity of 10 billion cubic meters. It will be completed in 2027.”
“An important present-day area is the development of joint projects in the sphere of liquefying gas and its supplies around the world. We have two large projects. These are Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 with the participation of China’s largest companies. We have been already carrying out supplies from the Yamal LNG project to China, and we see possible new projects here both in the sphere of liquefying gas and petrochemicals which could be implemented together. In particular, a project of liquefying gas and a petrochemical facility are implemented in the Baltic region. Russia’s Sibur, which implements the Amur Gas Chemical Complex, will partner with one of the Chinese companies who will also takes part as a shareholder.”
There are also joint plans in the hydrogen energy sphere, he said. “Recently, we have agreed with Chinese colleagues that we will be developing cooperation on hydrogen production. This is a new area, which will potentially be in demand in the future,” Novak said.
Russian gas exports via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline to China began in 2019. Gas from the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia was supplied initially, joined by gas from the Kovyktinskoye field in the Irkutsk region in 2022. The contract states 30 billion cubic meters of gas will be supplied to China. Capacity to supply 38 bcm per year will be reached in December.
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