Proposed Russia-China pipeline needs 'tremendous work,' CNPC researcher says

BEIJING — A proposed pipeline to carry gas from Siberia in Russia to China requires "tremendous work, jobs and negotiations," a senior Chinese researcher said on Thursday (Dec 11).

In the last few years, Moscow has pushed hard to finalise a deal with Beijing to build the second Power of Siberia pipeline and in September, it unveiled a "legally binding memorandum" for its construction during President Vladimir Putin's visit to China.

Beijing, however, has made few public remarks about the deal.

Lu Ruquan, president of the CNPC Economics & Technology Research Institute, the research arm of the Chinese state oil firm, said at the International Energy Executive Forum 2025 that giant gas projects like the Power of Siberia need at least eight to 10 years.

Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of S&P Global Energy, said that while Russia seems determined to build the pipeline, a project that "fits into the overall collaboration or a good relationship between Russia and China," it will take longer than people think to get built.

"That maybe... there's a lot of details still to be worked out," Yergin said. "Whatever the co-operation between Russia and China, one thing that they don't agree about is what the price of gas should be."

Russia began pumping gas from eastern Siberia to China in late 2019 via the Power of Siberia 1 pipeline, which is expected to reach its planned capacity of 38 billion cubic metres this year.

During Putin's recent visit to China in September, an additional six bcm was agreed via this route. Separately, China agreed to import from Russia an additional two bcm annually via the Far Eastern route from the Pacific island of Sakhalin, with exports scheduled to begin in 2027 and reach 12 bcm per year afterwards.

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