RT quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on August 21 as saying that the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which supplies Russian natural gas to China, is still at a high level of readiness.
The spokesperson's comments came after the media reported that Mongolia had removed the project from the national development plan for 2028, a move that some analysts believe would further complicate the project's prospects.
Power of Siberia 2 is expected to transport up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year 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, has not included the project in the national development plan for 2028.
The newspaper cited analysts as saying the disruption was due to price disagreements between Beijing and Moscow, as well as geopolitical issues and concerns about secondary sanctions from Western countries.
Regarding the Mongolian issue, spokeswoman Zakharova noted, "if Mongolian partners initially wanted to play a limited role as a transit country, now the possibility of using part of the cheap gas from the pipeline to develop their own economy, industry and infrastructure is being considered."
Ms. Zakharova emphasized that the project will be carried out after China and Russia agree on prices and volumes, and added that Russian energy giant Gazprom and the National Oil and Gas Group of China (CNPC) are negotiating.
Russia is supplying gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline - part of the Eastern route.
This is part of a $400 billion 30-year deal between Gazprom and the CNPC, signed in 2014.
deliveries began in 2019 and the pipeline is expected to reach a maximum capacity of 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year by 2025.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said last month that gas exports to China via Power of Siberia could reach 30 billion cubic meters this year.
Gazprom expects gas supplies to Russia's top trading partner to continue to increase thanks to increased 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 long-term China pipeline to supply gas to China are also underway. The 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 additional pipeline gas supplies via the new route in February 2023.
