Telegraph journalist Rachel Millard has spoken out about Europe’s unease over Russia and China’s deal to build a new Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline
“Moscow and Beijing’s ambition to double the supply of raw materials to Asia has gone almost unnoticed by Brussels and London, which have been preoccupied in recent months with the controversy over Nord Stream 2. The planned pipeline to China will have an equivalent capacity of 50 billion cubic metres of fuel per year”, – the columnist writes.
The article also stated that Western experts believe that the implementation of this project will increase Russia’s capacity on world markets, and will affect the energy independence of Europe. The existing gas routes to China receive raw materials from the fields in Eastern Siberia, but the new pipeline could connect to the subsoil in the Yamal region, which also supplies Europe, the article says.
Experts express concern that this raises questions about future supplies to the continent.
“Although Moscow has enough resources to meet demand in both markets, it may give preference to the buyer who pays a higher price for gas”, – said ICIS analyst Tomasz Marzec-Manser.
China, unlike Europe, buys large volumes of energy under long-term contracts linked to the price of oil. Philip Medunic of the think tank European Council on Foreign Relations called on Brussels to get the “right agreements” on gas supplies so as not to experience shortages like this winter.