The Chinese state-owned State Grid announced this Monday the completion of the Eastern Route Gas Pipeline, which connects Russia and China, along 5,111 kilometers, and with its final destination in Shanghai (east).
The gas pipeline, coming from the Chinese province of Heilongjiang (northeast), was designed to supply up to 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas per yeara capacity that should meet demand from several major regions in China, including the three northeastern provinces, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta.
According to State Grid, which in Portugal owns 25% of REN (National Energy Networks), the supply will satisfy the annual gas needs of approximately 13 million urban homes in these areas.
The launch of the project points to energy cooperation between the two countries, at a time when Russia has increased its exports to Asia, with the aim of offsetting losses caused by Western sanctions and damage caused to supply infrastructure. of Europe.
In October, The Russian gas giant Gazprom and the Chinese oil company China National Petroleum Corporation have reached new agreements to increase the volume of supplies.
This year the Russian company will supply China with another billion cubic meters of gas, said Vitali Markelov, vice president of the Russian consortium, during the International Gas Forum in St. Petersburg.
The two companies also agreed to maximize daily supply through the Siberian Force pipeline, which began operating in 2019 and currently transports up to 38 billion cubic meters a year.
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which supply gas to Germany through the bottom of the Baltic Sea, and the imposition of Western sanctions, Russia sought to diversify its gas and crude oil exports, turning to Asia and, in particular, China and India.
The strategic partnership between China and Russia has further deepened since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which China has never condemned.
Beijing presents itself as a neutral party to the conflict and says it does not supply weapons to either side. But the United States and Europe periodically accuse China of offering Russia crucial economic support for its war effort.
Trade between China and Russia registered, in 2023, a year-on-year growth of 26.3%, up to 240 billion dollars (223 billion euros).
Source: Observadora
