Mongolia to decide on gas pipeline route after Russia-China cost agreement

Densmaa 2023-03-16 07:03

Politics

Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene speaks at a commencement ceremony for the underground production at Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in the Gobi Desert

Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene speaks at a commencement ceremony for the underground production at Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia March 13, 2023. Mongolia will take a decision on which part of its territory will be used to construct the Russia-China gas pipeline once its neighbours reach an agreement on costs, the country's prime minister said. Russian energy company Gazprom is planning to build the 2,600 km Power-of-Siberia 2 gas pipeline to supply 50 billion cubic metres of gas per year to China by 2030. Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene told Reuters on Tuesday that talks between its two big neighbours had been put on the back burner due to the Ukraine war, but there was a likelihood of them coming back to the negotiating table. After Russia and China decide on the pricing, Mongolia will decide on how they can use its territory to transport the gas, Oyun-Erdene said. "We're discussing cooperation in the rare earth elements sector; having discussions with German and French sites on copper production, and enhancing our private sector partnership with the Republic of Korea and Japan," Oyun-Erdene said.