Russia to Increase Gas Production in Far East by 250% by 2035 - Energy Minister

Russian Energy Minister plans to increase gas production in the Russian Far East to 80 billion cubic meters per year by 2035.

NOVOBUREJSKIJ (Russia) (Sputnik) — There are plans to increase the production of gas in the Russian Far East by 250 percent to 80 billion cubic meters per year in little less than two decades, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Thursday during his meeting on the implementation of major investment projects in the region.

"The production of gas in the region increased by 10 percent over the past five years and reached 32.8 billion cubic meters of gas. The energy strategy provides for the growth of gas production in this region by 2.5 times to 80 million cubic meters per year by 2035," Novak said.

The energy minister also pointed out that the Far Eastern Federal District was a strategic region with regard to potential resources and reserves.

Novak also said that the growth of gas production and gas infrastructure development in the Far East primarily relates to gas supplies through the Power of Siberia pipeline, which is currently under construction.

Earlier in the day, a delegation including Novak and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Amur gas processing plant and Nizhne-Bureyskaya Hydro Power Plant in Russia's far eastern Amur Region.

The Power of Siberia will become a shared gas transportation system for Irkutsk and Yakutsk gas centers. The route of the pipeline will follow the Eastern Siberia — Pacific Ocean oil pipeline. The pipeline will supply gas to Russia's domestic market as well as the Chinese market, and is expected to have the capacity of up to 61 billion cubic meters per year of natural gas.