RT quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on August 21 that the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline supplying Russian natural gas to China remains at a high level of readiness.
The spokesman's comments came after media reports that Mongolia had dropped the project from its 2028 national development plan, a move that some analysts believe will complicate more prospects of the project.
Power of Siberia 2 is expected to transport up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from the Yamal region in northern Russia to China via Mongolia.
The South China Morning Post reported on August 19 that Mongolia, where most of the 2,594 km pipeline will run through, did not include the project in its national development plan for 2028.
The newspaper cited analysts who attributed the disruption to price disagreements between Beijing and Moscow, as well as geopolitical issues and concerns about secondary sanctions from Western countries.
Regarding the issue of Mongolia , spokesperson Zakharova noted, "if initially the Mongolian partners wanted a limited role as a transit country, now the possibility of using part of the cheap gas from the pipeline for their own economic, industrial and infrastructure development is being considered".
Ms. Zakharova emphasized that the project will proceed after China and Russia agree on price and volume, adding that Russian energy giant Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) ) negotiations are underway.
Russia is supplying gas to China through the Power of Siberia pipeline - part of the Eastern Route.
This is part of a 30-year, $400 billion deal between Gazprom and CNPC, signed in 2014.
Deliveries began in 2019 and the pipeline is expected to reach its maximum operating capacity of 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually by 2025.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said last month that gas exports to China through Power of Siberia could reach 30 billion cubic meters this year.
Gazprom predicts that gas supplies to Russia's top trading partner will continue to increase thanks to rising demand. When all pipelines are fully operational, the volume of Russian gas supplied to China could reach nearly 100 billion cubic meters per year.
Discussions on the Far East Route to supply gas to China are also underway. This route will transport Russian natural gas from the continental shelf off Sakhalin Island to China starting in 2027.
Moscow and Beijing signed an agreement on the supply of additional pipeline gas through the new route in February 2023.
