Kazakhstan’s Northeast May Be Left Without Gas Route If Russia Chooses Mongolia

Russia has not yet decided which route the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline will take. Kazakhstan’s ability to gasify its northeastern regions through the transit pipeline depends on that decision, Orda.kz reports, citing oilgazKZ.

Boris Titov, co-chairman of the Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development, said in an interview with Russian media that the project has not been agreed for more than 10 years not because of the price, but because of the route.

The question is technical problems. This is not a matter of price, as many media outlets wrote — that we cannot agree on the price. That is not the issue. The issue is more about logistics — choosing the right route for the gas pipeline,Titov said.

According to him, the project participants are choosing an option that suits them in terms of construction costs, safety, and reliability.

This is a working issue that will be resolved in the near future, but no one is in a hurry,he added.

Kazakhstan’s industry media note that if the pipeline passes through the country, as Russia and China had previously discussed, Kazakhstan could receive gas for its northeastern regions.

In December 2024, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the capacity of such a route could reach 45 billion cubic metres per year. Of that, 10 billion cubic metres were planned for Kazakhstan’s gasification needs.

If Russia and China choose a route through Mongolia, Kazakhstan will have to find a separate solution for the northeast. The country does not have enough of its own gas for these regions, and a new pipeline from Russia would have to be built separately.

Original author: Alexander Zhdanov

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