Russia and China continue to discuss options for the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, information shared by Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui with reporters on the sidelines of the Asia- Europe Oil and Gas Forum.
"The most important thing is which route to choose. The first option is to go through Mongolia, the second option is not to go through Mongolia," he said.
The Chinese diplomat added, according to the second plan, the gas pipeline to China will go completely through Russian territory and have the end point near Zabaikalsk, Russia.
The ambassador said that the parties have a first pipeline - the Power of Siberia pipeline - so it is easier to agree on gas prices. We can solve this problem because this is an international price, he said.
The Chinese diplomat in Russia also said that Beijing said that having another route to bring Russian gas to China via Kazakhstan would be costly. "I have told my Russian partners that this is not practical. In fact, it is not effective" - the ambassador said.
The Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline is expected to run from Russia's Yamal and Western Siberia territories to China, with a maximum capacity of 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
In December 2023, Russia announced a final agreement on the terms for the construction of the gas pipeline between Gazprom and China's CNPC. A survey is underway to install a section of the pipeline through Mongolia.
At the end of December 2024, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak reported that the development of the gas pipeline from Russia through Kazakhstan to China had been launched, with a capacity of 45 billion m3, of which 10 billion m3 is for Kazakhstan's gas supply network.
