MOSCOW, August 19 (RIA Novosti) - The tentative date for beginning the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline is September 1, subject to the availability of the country’s leaders. Their presence is expected at the launch, a source familiar with the preparations told RIA Novosti.
“September 1 is a tentative date, and it will all depend on the schedules of the country’s leaders,” the source said.
Earlier, Russian gas giant Gazprom said work on the pipeline could start as early as August.
The Power of Siberia pipeline is to be a unified gas transmission system (GTS) for the Irkutsk and Yakutia production centers, transporting gas from the regions to Vladivostok via Khabarovsk. The pipeline is to run along the already operational Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline, which should help streamline infrastructure and power supply costs.
The first section of the Power of Siberia GTS is expected to go into operation in late 2017.
On May 21, 2014, Gazprom Deputy Chairman Alexei Miller and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Chairman Zhou Jiping signed a contract to supply gas from Russia to China via the eastern route. The 30-year contract stipulates the delivery of 38 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to China annually.
