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Russia’s Irkutsk Oil Co mulls supplying gas via Sila Sibiri pipeline

The company is holding talks with Gazprom and the Energy Ministry on supplying up to 5 billion cu m of associated gas annually from its fields in Siberia through the Power of Siberia pipeline

IRKUTSK, June 23. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Irkutsk Oil Company is holding talks with gas giant Gazprom and the Energy Ministry on supplying up to 5 billion cubic meters of associated gas annually from its fields in Siberia through the Sila Sibiri (Power of Siberia) pipeline, spokesman for the company Anton Didenok said on Monday.

“The question is being discussed now. The decision on access has not been made yet. We are ready to supply up to 5 billion cubic meters of gas annually,” Didenok said.

The company plans to boost exports and the annual associated gas output of its yet-to-be-built gas chemical plant in the Ust-Kut city of the Irkutsk Region to 7 billion cubic meters in the next 5 years. The launch of the 110-120 billion ruble plant is slated for 2019.

State-owned oil company Rosneft is the major lobbyist of independent gas exports through the Sila Sibiri pipeline. The company is now in negotiations with Gazprom on supplying up to 18 billion cubic meters of gas annually via the pipeline from its fields in eastern Siberia.

The Sila Sibiri pipeline’s first stage is to be launched at the end of 2017. The pipeline with an annual capacity of 61 billion cubic meters will pump gas from fields in East Siberia to the country’s Far East and China.

Gazprom earlier signed a $400 billion 30-year contract to supply 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China.