Mongolia is close to finalizing the environmental assessment for the planned Soyuz Vostok natural gas pipeline connecting Russia and China through Mongolian territory, Russia’s Energy Ministry announced on Friday.
The pipeline, an extension of Russia’s Power of Siberia 2, was the focus of discussions between Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov and Mongolia’s special envoy Zandaakhuugiin Enkhbold. According to the ministry’s statement, all engineering surveys are now complete, and the environmental impact assessment is in its final stages.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously discussed the pipeline with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh in September 2024, highlighting Moscow’s openness not only to using Mongolia as a transit country for gas exports to China but also potentially supplying gas directly to Mongolian consumers.
The Soyuz Vostok pipeline aims to deliver up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually from West Siberia to China, traversing Mongolian territory. However, the project’s completion timeline hinges on ongoing negotiations between Russia’s Gazprom and China’s CNPC.
Additionally, experts from the Siberian-based Melentiev Institute of Energy Systems predict Mongolia’s domestic gas consumption could rise significantly, reaching 5.6 billion cubic meters per year by 2040.
In their meeting, the Russian and Mongolian representatives also discussed ongoing cooperation, including joint projects to modernize a thermal power plant in Mongolia and implementing Russian technical standards in future joint ventures. The pipeline project is seen as a major driver of strengthened economic ties and energy cooperation between Russia and Mongolia.
