The Russian gas giant Gazprom is considering raising the capacity of its 38 bcm/year Power of Siberia gas pipeline to China by 6 bcm/year to 44 bcm/year. As Chinese gas demand is increasing rapidly - it may even double in 15 years according to the company - Gazprom and its Chinese partners are currently negotiating an increase of gas supplies through the gas pipeline and through the construction of the 50 bcm/year Power of Siberia 2 (via Mongolia) and the western route. Boosting gas pipeline capacities could help Gazprom raise its gas exports to China to 130 bcm/year.
As agreed in 2014, in December 2019, Russia started to deliver gas to China using the Power of Siberia pipeline under a 30-year contract for 38 bcm/year. Gazprom will progressively ramp up gas deliveries from the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia (and from the Kovyktinskoye field located in the Irkutsk region as of early 2023) to Blagoveshchensk, at the Russian border with China, and to Changling in the Jilin province of China, until reaching the 38 bcm/year level. In July 2019, China began to build a 1,110 km gas pipeline section to the project between Changling and Yongqing (in the Hebei province). The extension will be completed in October 2020.