The underwater shield crossing project that passes through the Yangtze River of China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline is in full swing, which is the key project of the southern section of the China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline, with a total length of 10.226 kilometers, the longest tunnel under construction across the Yangtze River.
The pipeline project is a major strategic project contributing to China-Russia energy cooperation, which was agreed upon and highlighted by the heads of the two countries, who both noted its significance for deepening all-round cooperation between the two countries and promoting the integration of their interests.
The project, with the northern, middle and southern sections constructed in phases, has a total length of 5,111 km, starting at the China-Russia border in Heihe City, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, passing through nine provinces and cities, including Jilin and Jiangsu, and ending in Shanghai.
During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the leaders of the two countries met face-to-face. On February 3, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Gazprom signed an agreement on the purchase and sale of gas from the Far East. This is another important result of cooperation in gas trade following the commissioning of the northern section of China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline in December 2019.
After the meeting between the two leaders, China and Russia have issued a joint statement on international relations and sustainable global development in a new era. Moreover, they signed 15 cooperation agreements, including a number of agreements and memorandums in the field of energy cooperation.
According to the agreement on the purchase and sale of gas from the Far East, Russia will increase its pipeline gas supply to China by 10 billion cubic meters per year, which, together with the “Siberian Power” pipeline, will bring the total gas supply to China to 48 billion cubic meters per year.
On February 4, CNPC and Rosneft Oil signed a supplementary agreement on the purchase and sale of crude oil. According to the agreement, Russia will continue to supply 100 million tons of crude oil to China via Kazakhstan for a period of 10 years.
As of January 2022, CNPC has imported a total of more than 300 million tons of crude oil and more than 15 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia by pipeline.
The two countries have entered negotiations on the construction proposals for several oil and gas pipelines. In addition to oil and gas, Russia is also currently China’s main source of imported coal. Moreover, China and Russia have escalated cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, including the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in Lianyungang, East China’s Jiangsu Province and the Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant in Huludao, Northeast China’s Liaoning Province.
The construction site of China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline in Heihe, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province File photo: VCG
