Russia to start gas exports via Sila Sibiri in commissioning regime Dec 1

BEIJING, Sep 6 (PRIME) -- Russia’s exports of natural gas to China via the Sila Sibiti (Power of Siberia) pipeline will start on December 1, although six months will be spent in the commissioning regime without any guaranteed amounts, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told reporters on Friday.

“(It will start) on December 1, actually…Gas delivery will start through this route in strict compliance with the gas purchase contract, but in the first half of the year, in the first six months, it will be done in the start-up and commissioning regime of the equipment,” he said.

“Some people raise the question of it being guaranteed daily amounts of gas supplies, but it is impossible. It is also unnecessary under the contract, and it is technologically impossible, as it is impossible to guarantee anything during the start-up and commissioning regime,” he said.

Russian gas giant Gazprom and China’s CNPC signed a contract on gas supplies via the Sila Sibiri pipeline, or the eastern route, in 2014. Gazprom plans to provide China with 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year over 30 years through the pipeline. The company will start supplies via the pipeline with 5 billion cubic meters, and the facility will reach its full capacity in several years.

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