BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.25
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Kazakhstan is looking into joining future Power of Siberia 2 project, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Askar Mamin said, Trend reports with reference to Kazakh media.
He made the statement during a plenary meeting of Kazakhstan’s senate.
According to Mamin, currently Kazakhstan’s government is looking at two options on supplying gas to its Pavlodar region.
“Taking into consideration an environmental situation in the region we are looking at the Power of Siberia 2 project. There is a Power of Siberia pipeline, which already transports gas. Currently the gas prices are being agreed on. We have offered Russia that the Power of Siberia 2 project could go through territory of Kazakhstan to enter China,” Mamin said.
He added that Sarybulak gas field in West Kazakhstan is supplying certain region with gas, however its capacities are not enough to meet the demand of the local industry.
“The option that we are currently considering and discussing with Russia’s Gazprom is that we join Russia’s gas transport system. Feasibility study development is underway on both of these projects. I think that by 1Q2020 we will have an understanding which project is best suited for us,” Mamin said.
“The final decision will be made before the end of 1Q2020,” he said.
The Power of Siberia 2 project is a planned gas pipeline between Russia’s gas fields in Western Siberia and the Xinjiang autonomous territory in China. There is a chance that the pipeline may be joined to the Chinese West-East pipeline, which will bring transported gas to Shanghai.
Due to the fact that according to preliminary project, the pipeline is to be constructed through Ukok Plateau, which is recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, there is an opinion that the pipeline should be constructed bypassing the Ukok Plateau, , i.e. via territory of Kazakhstan or Mongolia.
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