Power of Siberia 2 Gas Pipeline May Replace Nord Stream 2 For Russia, Novak Says

Gazprom signed a second long-term contract with China's CNPC in early February 2022 on exports via the Far Eastern route.

The Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, intended for gas supplies to China, may actually become a replacement for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.

"Well, in fact, yes," Novak said, replying to a question on whether the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline could become a replacement for Nord Stream 2.

Earlier, Novak said that a final agreement with China on the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline is expected in the near future, and the volume of supplies will amount to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Gazprom says China is increasing applications for gas supplies through Power of Siberia, which in September have regularly exceeded daily contracts.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters, stretches from the coast of Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany. Its construction was fully completed in September 2021, and work was underway on the launch, which included both technical measures and obtaining regulatory permits, primarily from the German authorities.

However, after Russia recognized the sovereignty of the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR and LPR), the German government stopped pipeline certification in February. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that "the project is actually frozen."

Work on designing Power of Siberia 2 began in September 2020, and the pipeline will be laid through Mongolia. Through it, Russia plans to supply up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year from gas fields in Siberia to China. The approximate length of the pipe will be about 6,700 km, of which 2,700 will pass through the territory of Russia.