Center

Russia in talks to build China gas pipeline

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-06-01 10:53

Russia is in talks to build a gas pipeline to China which should be partially completed in the next five to six years and is interested in investing further in the country's energy sector, Russia's energy minister said on Thursday.

Related readings:  Pakistan considers building gas pipeline to China  New west-east gas pipeline planned Russia building bridge to China

"We will go about developing infrastructure for supplies of natural gas and crude oil to China," Viktor Khristenko, Russian minister of industry and energy, told Reuters in an interview.

Russia was also interested in investing in oil production, refining and marketing in China in addition to gas distribution.

He said Moscow wanted to build gas pipelines from gas fields in eastern and western Siberia. Decisions would be made based on the development of the Chinese gas market and restructuring of its energy markets as a whole.

"To a certain extent, there's uncertainty related to the fact that the natural gas market in China is in the making," he said. "I think it may also be linked potentially with the discussion on the greenhouse gas emission problems and the respective restructuring of the Chinese energy sector."

Khristenko said talks were underway and that progress on at least one pipeline was expected in the next five to six years.

"Volumes, capacities and timeframe for such gas transport distribution systems are being discussed," he said.

"That's midterm. We're not talking about 20 years from now. Rather five to six years."

He said pipelines could come from an eastern route, fed by resources in eastern Siberia and the far eastern sea shelves, and a western route, from fields in that area of Siberia.

Russia was also eyeing investments in non-energy related fields in China including machine building and forestry.