China begins to build extension of Power of Siberia, ceremony for welding first join at end of June
MOSCOW. June 2 (Interfax) - The construction of the gas pipeline for accepting gas from the Power of Siberia trunk pipeline by China has already begun, and the official ceremony for the welding of the "first joint" will take place already this month, Gazprom said after talks of Gazprom chief Alexei Miller and China's Senior Vice Premier of the
State Council Zhang Gaoli and CNPC Chairman Wang Yilin.
"Work on the Russian section is going according to schedule. Last week the construction of the gas pipeline for the acceptance of gas from Russia officially began in China, and the welding of the first joint is scheduled for the end of June," the press release said.
The meeting participants discussed in detail the progress of talks on gas supplies to China via the Western route and the schedule of future activities for preparing for the signing of a contract.
Miller, who was cited in the statement after the talks said: "The signing of a contract on the Eastern route created a solid foundation. In talks on the Western [route], we are moving forward at a good rate. The important stage is the signing of the main conditions for the Western route. The fixing of exact coordinates of the crossing of the border finally and unambiguously defined the corridor of supplies both for the first 30 billion cubic meters of gas from Western Siberia and for following [supplies]."
A year ago, on May 21, 2014, Gazprom and CNPC signed an agreement on the purchase and sale of gas along the Eastern route. The agreement was concluded for 30 years and envisages the supply of Russian gas to China in the amount of 38 bcm a year.
The Western route envisages the supply of gas to China from fields of Western Siberia in the amount of 30 bcm of gas a year. On May 8, 2015 Gazprom and CNPC signed an agreement on the main conditions of pipeline supplies of natural gas from Russia to China along the Western route.