MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Russia's Kommersant newspaper, that obtained the pipeline construction blueprint, the estimate was made by the Japan Pipeline Development & Operation (JPDO) and the Japan Russian Natural Gas (JRNG) companies.
The JPDO is said to regard the project as beneficial for both Japan and Russia, with estimates showing that the demand from the Japanese side could amount to 25 billion cubic meters.
The blueprint indicates that Japan's demand could increase further if the country is able to purchase gas on a stable long-term basis.
The companies plan to get investors and and foreign companies involved in the project. The construction of the pipeline is expected to be completed by 2022.
According to the document, gas could be transported from gas fields closer to Japan, which are Russian energy giant Gazprom's Sakhalin I and Sakhalin III.
In December 2016, Gazprom head Alexei Miller said Moscow and Tokyo could begin talks on the construction of an underwater gas pipeline between the Russian island of Sakhalin and Japan in the near future, noting that the project was not simple in its technological implementation.
A reply from Gazprom and the Russian Energy Ministry on the project is expected in April.
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