China Gives Environmental Go Ahead to Russia-China Gas Pipeline

China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection has approved the Chinese section of the Russia-China eastern route natural gas pipeline.

Environmental impact assessment reports were submitted to the relevant state departments for approval in April. The ministry has approved construction of the 737-kilometre (456-mile) pipeline from Heihe in the northeastern Heilongjiang province to Changling in the northeastern Jilin province.

Initial construction work on the Chinese section of the pipeline commenced last year at Heihe, Heilongjiang province. The Chinese part of the pipeline will run from the China-Russian border in Heihe of Heilongjiang province and end at Shanghai, passing through nine provinces and cities including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Shanghai.

On May 21, 2014, a gas purchase and sales contract via the eastern route pipeline was signed between CNPC and Gazprom. Under the 30-year contract, Gazprom will start transmitting gas to China via the Eastern Route from 2018, with gas delivery gradually increasing to 38 billion cubic meters per annum.

The imported gas will mainly supply China's Northeast, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, and the Yangtze River Delta region.