The Russian gas company Gazprom has launched production at the 1,800 bcm Kovykta gas field, located in the Irkutsk Oblast, in Russia’s eastern Siberia. The natural gas produced from the field, the largest in eastern Russia, is destined to supply China via the Power of Siberia pipeline. In addition, Russia has put into service the 804 km Kovykta-Chayanda section of the Power of Siberia pipeline, which links the gas field to the main pipeline.
The total length of the gas pipeline surpasses 8,000 km, including a 3,000 km section in Russia. The Power of Siberia pipeline is designed with 3 parallel gas pipelines, which are expected to boost the Russian gas supply capacity to China to 142 bcm/year once completed.
Russia has proved natural gas reserves surpassing 47,800 bcm, and the country produced 791 bcm of gas in 2021 (+9.5% compared to 2020). Russia is currently aiming to reroute its energy flows from Europe, where sanctions against Moscow have been taken, to Asia, and particularly to China. Russia exported around 16.5 bcm of natural gas to China in 2021. The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Gazprom signed a US$400bn, 30-year contract in May 2014 for the supply of 38 bcm/year of Russian gas to China starting in 2024.