Beijing, Moscow Mull Mongolian Gas Pipe
Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the head of state gas supplier Gazprom to consider the shipment of gas to China via Mongolia.
“Please, look into the resources of Yamal as well, in order to gather the necessary resources for the supplies via the western route to China via Mongolia,” Putin told Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller in a September 9 meeting, according to a post on the Kremlin’s website.
Gazprom is set to launch piped gas deliveries to China this December using the 38bn m3/yr Power of Siberia pipeline in the Far East. Russian and Chinese officials have been discussing the construction of a second pipeline connecting Siberian gas fields with the burgeoning Chinese gas market for years, but no firm agreements have been reached.
Building a pipeline through Mongolia is one of several options on the table. Moscow has also pushed for a cross-border link via Altai in the past.
Putin noted to Miller that Russia’s partners in China also “lean toward” a Mongolian route.
Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga confirmed that Beijing and Moscow were looking at the pipeline's development at last week’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Putin “expressed support” for the project, he said, while Chinese President Xi Jinping “promised to consider” the proposal.