Rosneft may increase oil supplies to China by over 9 million metric tonnes, according to Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. Most of it may reportedly be delivered to China through Kazakhstan.
At a meeting of the Russian-Chinese Commission for Energy
Cooperation in Beijing the two countries agreed to increase crude
supplies to China by 9 million tonnes annually. The extra oil will
be used to supply a joint refinery project in the city of Tianjin
in northern China, Dvorkovich said on Monday.
“So far, specific parameters have not been defined, but in any
case deliveries should be sufficient to start the Tianjin refinery
project. This is about 9 million tonnes of oil and the Chinese are
interested in an even larger increase in deliveries,” the
Deputy Prime Minister is quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as
saying after the meeting.
According to Kommersant daily, Rosneft is looking at possibilities
to transfer around 7 million tonnes of oil to China through
Kazakhstan, as the Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil pipeline only
has enough room for another 1.5 to 2 million tonnes per year.
Rosneft may reportedly be delivering the crude via the
Atasu-Alashankou pipeline.
The newspaper’s source close to the Russian-Kazakh
inter-governmental commission claims Moscow and Astana are
currently discussing this matter. The newspaper says the oil major
may begin delivery through Kazakhstan in 2014.
In the long-term the capacity of the Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean
pipeline is planned to be increased but there’s no specific
timetable in place.
Russia plans to double oil export to China, and to deliver over 30
million tonnes per year.
Rosneft and oil pipeline monopoly Transneft currently deliver 15
million tons of crude to China annually using the Russia-China
branch of the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean pipeline under a deal
signed in 2009.