As China’s demand for natural gas rises, Russia wants to sell more

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02:39

China and Russia are negotiating the possibility of expanding the planned capacity of 38 billion cubic meters per year for the East Route Natural Gas Pipeline linking the two countries.

According to the deputy project director of the China-Russia East Route Natural Gas Pipeline, there are talks being held to transport an additional 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia into China, with 10 billion cubic meters through the East Route Natural Gas Pipeline.

Wu Xun, the deputy project manager for the China-Russia East Route Natural Gas Pipeline (L), explains the construction process of the tunnel crossing the Russian border under the Amur-Heilongjiang River to CGTN’s reporter Xu Xinchen. /CGTN Photo

The pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of next year, transporting natural gas from Russia to meet the rising demand of cleaner fuel from China. The most difficult kilometer of the project is reportedly the underwater crossing, which goes across the Amur/Heilongjiang river, and started welding pipes on March 28.

That portion of the pipeline uses a 33.4 millimeter thick pipe to make sure it links with the Russian pipeline, which is the thickest ever used in China.

Workers on site told CGTN that welding the thick pipe takes them over 10 hours, while the welding process for traditional pipes takes around two hours. In addition, the welding process also uses more bonding wires – some 25 kilograms.

A welder works on site of the China-Russia East Route Natural Gas Pipeline. /CGTN Photo

Upon completion, the pipeline will be able to transport more than enough natural gas – a cleaner fuel – from Russia to meet the demand from China’s northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin. The pipeline also extends to more southern cities, ending in Shanghai. To make sure that happens, experts say trust between China and Russia is crucial.

“It is more important for China and Russia to have mutual trust. Russian President Putin has been promoting the rise of Russia’s Far East. Through exporting natural gas into China, it can increase the Far East region’s GDP and also boost the region’s contribution to the entire Russian economy,” said Professor Bao Wen from the Harbin Institute of Technology, who has three decades of experience in energy related fields.

Professor Bao Wen (L) from the Harbin Institute of Technology speaks with CGTN. /CGTN Photo

The China-Russia East Route Natural Gas Pipeline will start operating by the end of 2019, with a first year volume of 5 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas transported into China. Then, the company operating the pipeline, PetroChina Pipeline Company, plans to gradually reach an annual capacity of 38 billion cubic meters in the following five years.