Sino-Russian gas pipeline operational
Completed in 2024, it will be able to supply 38 billion cubic meters of gas to Shanghai and beyond. The contract signed in 2014 had seen discussions between Moscow and Beijing since 1994.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Caixin) - The first part of a pipeline that brings energy from Siberia to eastern China has been in operation for three days. When completed in 2024, it will be able to supply up to 38 billion cubic meters of gas up to Shanghai and beyond.
The project is very important because it allows Moscow to escape the grip of Western sanctions. At the same time, with the massive use of gas, China hopes to lighten air pollution, which in winter - due to the use of coal - reaches dangerous levels.
The project was signed by Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) in Shanghai in 2014, but was prepared by discussions that began in 1994. It will last 30 years and in itself was supposed to start supplying gas last year.
With a demand reaching 276.6 billion cubic meters, China imports 125.35 billion cubic meters of gas per year. At present, this allows the country to cover 10% of its energy needs with less polluting gas.
The new pipeline, called the " Sino-Russia East Route ", departs from Irkutsk in Siberia, reaches the Chinese city of Heihe (Heilongjiang) and from there reaches Shanghai. The project also includes branches to nine other cities.
.png)
