Putin expresses certainty that Power of Siberia 2 project will move at good pace

BEIJING. Oct 17 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh said that the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project would move at a good pace, as all of the countries through which the pipeline will pass, namely Russia, Mongolia and China, are interested in seeing the project implemented.

"We have significant projects, multifaceted, including jointly with the People's Republic of China. I mean, for example, the construction of a gas pipeline system through Mongolia to China. Everyone here agrees with the project. All parties want to participate, want to work. The point is implementation. I think that we will move at a good pace," Putin said.

Mongolia is interested in continued cooperation with Russia in all areas, in particular, in the implementation of logistics and transportation projects, Khurelsukh said. In particular, Mongolia sees the prospect of increasing the freight traffic along the Ulaanbaatar Railroad from 30 million to 100 million tonnes per year, he said.

"We are keenly interested in all the projects with Russia that we plan to implement in the coming years in the field of energy, railroads, and highways," Khurelsukh said.

The Power of Siberia 2 project envisages supplying up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the gas resources in Western Siberia to China via Mongolia.

In 2020, Gazprom began assessing the prospects of gas supplies to China across Mongolia totaling up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year. In February 2022, design and survey work began as part of the Soyuz Vostok gas trunk line construction project. The pipeline will run across Mongolia and will be an extension of Power of Siberia 2.