Russian President Vladimir Putin has renamed the planned Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline to China as the Power of Baikal, Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev announced on Wednesday.
Tsivilev made the announcement at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, saying the project was in the final stages before construction. He did not provide details on whether the name change would be accompanied by any changes to the pipeline’s route, design or broader terms.
Major Russia-China Gas Project
The planned pipeline is expected to stretch approximately 2,600 kilometres and transport up to 50 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually from gas fields in Russia’s Arctic Yamal region to China through Mongolia.
The project is intended to strengthen Russia’s growing energy relationship with China and provide Moscow with another major export route for its gas supplies. It would complement the existing Power of Siberia pipeline, which transported about 38 billion cubic metres of gas to China in 2025.
Project Has Faced Delays
Despite its strategic importance, Power of Siberia 2 has faced prolonged delays, particularly over disagreements between Moscow and Beijing regarding the price of the gas to be supplied.
Putin has previously said pricing would be determined using a market-based formula similar to the mechanism Russia used for gas exports to Europe.
The renaming therefore comes as Moscow seeks to advance a project that has become increasingly important to its long-term strategy of redirecting energy exports toward Asian markets.
China Becomes Increasingly Important to Russia’s Energy Strategy
Russia has increasingly turned toward China and other Asian markets as its energy relationship with Europe has deteriorated following the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions.
A second major pipeline to China would give Russia additional capacity to export gas from its western and northern fields, while providing Beijing with another potential source of long-term pipeline gas.
However, the project’s future will depend heavily on the final commercial arrangements between Russia and China, particularly the price and purchase commitments.
What the Renaming Means
For now, the change appears to be primarily a rebranding of the planned project, as the Russian energy minister did not announce changes to its technical specifications or commercial terms.
The proposed Power of Baikal pipeline remains a major component of Moscow’s plans to deepen energy ties with Beijing and shift more of Russia’s gas exports toward Asia.
The project’s progress will now be closely watched for signs that Russia and China have resolved the outstanding pricing issues and are ready to move from planning toward construction.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
