A ceremonial event marking the start of the first-ever pipeline supplies of Russian gas to China via the eastern route - the Power of Siberia gas trunkline - took place on December 2.

Taking part in the event via video conference call were Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation; Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China; Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee; and Wang Yilin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

Gazprom has built a section of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline stretching 2,200 kilometers from Yakutia to the Chinese border near Blagoveshchensk. Also completed are the border-adjacent Atamanskaya compressor station and a cross-border section with a two-string submerged crossing under the Amur River.

According to the Sales and Purchase Agreement between Gazprom and CNPC, gas deliveries will be carried out in the course of 30 years. There is a robust resource base in place. Currently, Power of Siberia receives gas from Chayandinskoye, the largest field in Yakutia (1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves).

On the basis of this field, a new gas production center has been created in the region from the ground up. The center has already been provided with key facilities, such as comprehensive gas treatment and pre-treatment units, a booster compressor station, a utility system, and about 1,000 kilometers of roads, including 25 bridges. The field’s annual design output is 25 billion cubic meters of gas. This figure is expected to be reached in 2024.

In late 2022, Power of Siberia will start to receive gas from one more location - Kovyktinskoye (2.7 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves), the most prolific field in eastern Russia.

At the moment, the field serves as the basis for creating the Irkutsk gas production center, with pre-development operations underway. In the future, an approximately 800-kilometer stretch of Power of Siberia will be constructed between Kovyktinskoye and Chayandinskoye.

“Today, we are witnessing a historic event for Russia and China. The eastern route- Power of Siberia- is a global, strategically significant and mutually beneficial project,” said Alexey Miller.