Power of Siberia-2: The Pipeline That Could Redraw Eurasia’s Energy Map
For China, it is a masterstroke of energy diplomacy: secure supplies, lower costs, and greater leverage over a sanctioned neighbor
Guest Post by Velina Tchakarova, Geopolitical Strategist
(Velina Tchakarova)
Power of Siberia-2: The Pipeline That Could Redraw Eurasia’s Energy Map
After nearly three decades of on-and-off negotiations, Moscow, Beijing, and Ulaanbaatar have put their signatures on a legally binding memorandum to advance one of the most ambitious energy infrastructure projects in modern history: Power of Siberia-2. If built as planned, the pipeline will stretch roughly 2,600 km, channeling up to 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year from Russia’s Yamal fields through Mongolia to northern China.
This pipeline, often described by Gazprom as the “largest and most capital-intensive project in the world gas industry,” represents not just an engineering feat but also a geopolitical pivot. The Russian state energy champion, Gazprom, and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) exchanged documents in the presence of President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping, with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh endorsing Ulaanbaatar’s transit role.
The deal coincides with an agreement to expand the existing Power of Siberia-1 pipeline’s annual capacity from 38 bcm to 44 bcm, raising the potential total volume of Russian pipeline exports to China to over 106 bcm per year once all new lines come online in the early 2030s. For comparison, Russia’s annual pipeline exports to the European Union peaked at around 180 bcm before 2022, a market that has since collapsed under the weight of sanctions, sabotage, and geopolitical rupture.