Putin Renames "Power of Siberia 2" to "Power of Baikal"

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 2, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev stated during the Eastern Economic Forum that the "Power of Siberia 2" natural gas pipeline project will continue under the name "Power of Baikal," and is currently in the final stage of transitioning to the construction phase. The new name was proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tsivilev did not provide an official start date for construction this time, nor did he specify whether the renaming entails adjustments to other elements such as the project route or technical parameters.

The project plans to transport natural gas from Western Siberia in Russia to China via Mongolia, with a designed annual transmission capacity of 50 billion cubic meters. The "Union-East" natural gas pipeline in Mongolia serves as an extension of this cross-border gas transmission route. Gazprom launched a feasibility assessment in 2020 for delivering up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to China via Mongolia; in February 2022, the "Union-East" project entered the design and survey stage.

In September 2025, Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation reached a new contractual milestone for project advancement, involving the construction of "Power of Siberia 2" and the "Union-East" transit pipeline through Mongolia. The relevant memorandum is legally binding, with a planned annual gas transmission volume of 50 billion cubic meters. WeDoAny previously reported that Gazprom subsequently discussed the supply of pipe materials required for major construction projects with large-diameter pipeline suppliers.

In May this year, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov stated that negotiations on the project had made progress, but the relevant agreements had not yet entered the finalization stage at that time. Tsivilev's latest characterization of the project as being in the "final stage of transitioning to the construction phase" constitutes the most recent development following the 2025 construction memorandum; the official start date for construction has not yet been announced.