China has completed its East-route natural gas pipeline, which runs for 5,111km from the Russian border to Shanghai, seven months ahead of schedule, South China Morning Post reports.
The final phase was between Jiangsu and Shanghai. The project is now in its commissioning phase. When this is complete, the line will begin providing 38 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year, or enough to supply to 130 million households in three provinces.
The pipeline has been gradually extended over the past five years, and has been in operation during that time.
It is being undertaken by the National Oil and Gas Pipeline Network Group, better known as PipeChina.
It forms an extension of the Power of Siberia line, a 3,000km project that was begun in September 2014 and completed in December 2019.
Including the Chinese section, the line stretches for roughly the distance between London and Los Angeles.
Power of Siberia was built to export the gas output of the Kovykta and Chayandinskoye fields in east-central Siberia. Altogether, the programme of works was thought to have cost up to $70bn.
The completion of the East-route comes as negotiations continue between Russia and China over Power of Siberia 2, a 2,600km project that may carry more than 50bcm a year.
In June, the Financial Times reported that talks had failed to reach an agreement because China wanted a price level similar to Russia’s domestic market, which is well below the international market rate.
A second bone of contention was China’s unwillingness to commit to buying the line’s full capacity.
In August, it was reported that Mongolia had omitted to provide funding for the line in its 2024-28 five-year plan (see further reading).
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