Russia boosts gas supplies to China

Gazprom says it has increased its flow at China’s request

Russian energy giant Gazprom has increased gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline and recorded a new daily maximum on December 7, the company wrote on its official Telegram channel on Thursday.

Gazprom has boosted exports compared to what had been previously planned for December at the request of China, exceeding daily contractual obligations by 16.1%, the company said.

Russia supplies gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline, a section of the so-called Eastern Route, under a bilateral long-term agreement between the two countries.

The announcement comes a day after Chinese construction company PipeChina reported the completion of a key section of the East Route natural gas pipeline between the two countries. It will allow gas to be transported from Russia to China's eastern economic powerhouse, Shanghai, according to the report.

READ MORE: Russia’s mega gas pipeline to China nearly complete – Xinhua

The East Route natural gas pipeline was partially launched in December 2019, thus becoming the first pipeline to supply Russian gas to China. It includes the 3,000km-long Power of Siberia pipeline in Russia and a section in China that extends 5,111km (3,175 miles).

The mega pipeline will provide China with 38 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas annually starting in 2024. It is part of a $400 billion, 30-year agreement inked between Russia’s Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation in May 2014.

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