China–Russia East-Route Natural Gas Pipeline 2 talks are underway.

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“Russia is in an active stage of talks with China over the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline to bring more Russian gas to China, Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said while Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Moscow.

Despite the touted “active” talks, it is unlikely that Russia and China will sign an agreement on the proposed gas pipeline before May 9, Russian news agency TASS quoted Tsivilev as telling reporters.

Xi flew to Moscow on Wednesday, will hold talks with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, and will attend a planned grand parade on Friday to mark the V-day of Russia defeating Nazi Germany in the Second World War 80 years ago, alongside other leaders of countries that have kept friendly ties with Russia after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

With the proposed Power of Siberia 2, Russia has been trying for years to get China to commit to a new natural gas pipeline from the massive fields in Western Russia to China via Mongolia. Power of Siberia 2, despite Russian assurances, is nowhere near a concrete commitment from China on the price and volumes at which the Russian gas would be imported.”

• Length:
  • Russian section: ~3,000 km (1,865 miles).
  • Chinese section: ~5,111 km (3,175 miles), including 3,371 km of newly built sections.
  • Total length (combined): Over 8,000 km.
• Diameter: 1,420 mm (1.422 meters).
• Working Pressure: 9.8 MPa (Russian section), with the Chinese section designed for up to 12 MPa.
• Export Capacity: 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year.
• Gas Sources:
  • Chayandinskoye field (Yakutia, 1.2 trillion cubic meters of reserves, launched 2019).
  • Kovyktinskoye field (Irkutsk, 2.7 trillion cubic meters, supplying since December 2022).
• Construction Cost:
  • Total project (including Chayanda field and Amur Gas Processing Plant): ~US$55–70 billion.
  • Pipeline: 1.1 trillion roubles (US$17 billion as of 2018).
  • Chayanda field development: ~450 billion roubles.
  • Amur Gas Processing Plant: ~950 billion roubles.
• Contract: A 30-year, US$400 billion gas supply deal signed in May 2014 between Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).
• Operational Timeline:
  • Construction began: September 2014.
  • Pipeline filled with gas: October 2019.
  • Deliveries to China started: December 2, 2019.
  • Full capacity (38 bcm/year): Expected by 2025.
• Infrastructure:
  • Includes compressor stations like Atamanskaya and Chayandinskaya (completed 2019).
  • Features two 1,139-meter tunnels under the Amur River (completed March 2019).
  • A 1.5-km crossing under the Lena River using microtunneling, with a 157.94-meter altitude difference (a Russian record).
  • Three parallel pipelines in some sections, each 1,422 mm in diameter.

• Russian Section (~3,000 km):
  • Starts at the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia.
  • Runs through Lensk, Olyokminsk, Aldan, Neryungri, Skovorodino, and Svobodny (connected to the Amur Gas Processing Plant).
  • Partially follows the corridor of the Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil pipeline.
  • Terminates at Blagoveshchensk on the Russia–China border, crossing the Amur River via two tunnels.
  • Traverses three Russian regions: Irkutsk, Yakutia, and Amur, covering swampy, mountainous, seismically active, and permafrost areas with temperatures as low as -62°C in Yakutia and -41°C in Amur.
• Chinese Section (~5,111 km):
  • Begins at Heihe, Heilongjiang Province, at the Russia–China border.
  • Extends south through nine provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, including Northeast China, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and the Yangtze River Delta, ending in Shanghai.
  • Key sections:
    • Northern section (Heihe to Changling, Jilin): Commissioned 2019.
    • Middle section (Changling to Yongqing, Hebei): Commissioned 2020.
    • Southern section (Nantong to Luzhi, Jiangsu, 167 km): Completed November 2024, seven months ahead of schedule.
    • Includes a 10.2-km underwater crossing of the Yangtze River (completed 2022).
• Environmental Considerations:
  • Designed to minimize impact by running through sparse woods and fire sites.
  • Uses pipeline bridges without intermediate supports to preserve river ecosystems.
  • Preserves archaeological artifacts, as seen in the Lena River crossing.

• For China: Diversifies gas supplies, reducing reliance on coal and supporting cleaner energy goals (coal is ~59% of China’s energy mix). Supplies ~9% of China’s 2025 gas consumption.
• For Russia: Provides revenue amid Western sanctions and declining European gas exports post-Ukraine conflict.
• Technical Note: Lower technical and legal standards compared to Russia–Europe pipelines due to less stringent requirements in Russia and China.

• Length: ~6,700 km total, including:
  • Russian section: ~2,700 km.
  • Mongolian section (Soyuz Vostok): ~962 km.
  • Chinese section: Not fully detailed but expected to connect to northern China.
• Diameter: Not specified, but likely similar to Power of Siberia 1 (1,420 mm).
• Capacity: 50 bcm/year, comparable to the now-defunct Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
• Gas Source: Yamal Peninsula fields (Western Siberia), including Bovanenkovskoye and Kharasaveyskoye fields.
• Estimated Cost: Up to US$13.6 billion (analyst estimates, not confirmed).
• Timeline:
  • Feasibility studies began in 2020.
  • Construction proposed to start in 2024, with gas delivery by 2030.
  • As of 2024, no final contract has been signed due to pricing disputes, with China requesting near-domestic Russian rates.
• Status: Negotiations ongoing, with progress reported in 2023–2025, but Mongolia’s exclusion of the Soyuz Vostok section from its 2024–2028 plan raises concerns about delays.

• Russian Section:
  • Starts at the Yamal Peninsula (Western Siberia).
  • Proposed route passes near Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kansk, Sayansk, Angarsk, Irkutsk, and Buryatia, reaching the Mongolian border at Naushki.
• Mongolian Section (Soyuz Vostok):
  • Cuts across eastern Mongolia, ~962 km, though the exact route remains undecided.
• Chinese Section:
  • Enters northern China, with details still under negotiation. Likely targets industrial regions like Beijing or Heihe.
• Alternative Routes:
  • Previously proposed as the Altai Gas Pipeline, running from Western Siberia’s Nadym and Urengoy fields through the Altai Republic to China’s Xinjiang (2,800 km total, 2,666 km in Russia). This route was shelved in 2015 due to environmental concerns (Ukok Plateau, snow leopard habitat) and local fears of Chinese expansion.

• Pricing Disputes: China’s strong negotiating position as a monopsonist buyer limits Russia’s leverage, with Beijing seeking prices lower than Central Asian contracts.
• Geopolitical Risks: Mongolia’s hesitation and Western sanctions on Russia complicate financing and timelines.
• Demand Uncertainty: China’s gas demand may not require additional supply until after 2030, delaying commitment.
• Sentiment on X: Recent posts (May 2025) indicate revived talks between Putin and Xi, but pricing and routing issues persist, with some skepticism about the project’s viability due to Mongolia’s stance.

• Power of Siberia 1: A fully operational pipeline (~8,000 km total, 38 bcm/year capacity) from Yakutia and Irkutsk to Shanghai, completed in 2024, supporting China’s energy security and Russia’s export diversification. It navigates harsh Siberian terrain and connects to China via Amur River tunnels.
• Power of Siberia 2: A proposed 6,700-km pipeline (50 bcm/year) from Yamal to China via Mongolia, facing delays due to pricing, routing, and Mongolia’s strategic plans. It aims to replace lost European markets but remains uncertain as of 2025.

• Gazprom’s official site: https://www.gazprom.com[](https://www.gazprom.com/projects/power-of-siberia/)
• Reuters coverage: https://www.reuters.com[](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/china-completes-full-pipeline-power-of-siberia-gas-2024-12-02/)[](https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-china-sign-power-siberia-2-gas-pipeline-contract-in-near-future-says-2024-05-17/)
• Enerdata updates: https://www.enerdata.net[](https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/pipechina-completes-38-bcmyear-china-russia-east-route-gas-pipeline.html)

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