Checkpoint for construction personnel at Power of Siberia’s cross-border section opened on Russian-Chinese border
RELEASE
Release
The inauguration ceremony for a temporary two-way checkpoint on the Russian-Chinese border took place today in the Blagoveshchensky district of the Amur Region.
The event was attended by Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Wang Dongjin, Vice President of CNPC, and Alexander Kozlov, Governor of the Amur Region.
The Verkhneblagoveshchensky temporary checkpoint was built by Gazprom as part of the construction project for the crossing under the Amur River within the Power of Siberia gas pipeline’s cross-border section. The checkpoint is meant to provide unfettered access to the restricted area for operating personnel and construction equipment.
The two-string underwater crossing will connect Power of Siberia to China’s gas transmission system. The project entails building two 1,139-meter-long tunnels with the inside diameter of 2.44 meters each.
“Construction of Power of Siberia is proceeding at a rapid pace. As of today, 719 kilometers of the gas pipeline’s linear section have been built. The opening of this checkpoint is vital to synchronizing efforts aimed at establishing gas transmission capacities across Russia and China,” said Vitaly Markelov.
Developing gas resources and shaping gas transmission system in Eastern Russia
Background
In 2014, Gazprom and China’s CNPC signed the Sales and Purchase Agreement for Russian gas to be supplied via the eastern route (Power of Siberia gas pipeline). The 30-year Agreement provides for gas deliveries to China in the amount of 38 billion cubic meters per year.
In September 2016, Gazprom and CNPC inked the EPC contract to construct a crossing under the Amur River within the cross-border section of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. China Petroleum Pipeline, CNPC's pipe-building subsidiary, is the contractor for the project. Construction in the Chinese territory commenced in April 2017.