Russia exported record volumes of gas to China in 2023, surpassing Turkmenistan and Australia in total deliveries, Interfax reports.
The highest-ever total volume of gas supplied by Russia's "Gazprom" in a single month to China reached 3.27 billion cubic meters.
During the same period, Australia exported 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas to China, and Turkmenistan exported 2.7 billion cubic meters.
The growth in Russian gas deliveries compared to the same period in 2022 amounted to 10%.
From January to July 2023, Turkmenistan reduced gas deliveries by 3% (compared to the same period in 2022) to 18.5 billion cubic meters, Uzbekistan decreased by 36% to 1.5 billion cubic meters, and Kazakhstan decreased by 6% to 2.8 billion cubic meters, according to the agency's report.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing data from a government document, that Russia plans to reduce the price of exported gas in the coming years.
It is planned that the cost of a thousand cubic meters of gas sent to Europe and Turkey will decrease from $983.8 in 2022 to $501.6 in 2023 and $481.7 in 2024.
For China, the price will be almost halved, reaching $297.3 in 2023 and $271.6 in 2024.
Turkmenistan sees Russia as a competitor in the Chinese gas market, leading to a diplomatic scandal in mid-August of this year, according to Hronikatm.com.
Despite reassurances from the Russian ambassador in Ashgabat that there is no competition between Turkmenistan and Russia in the gas supply to China, Turkmenistan strongly reacted to the statements by the Russian Foreign Ministry representative that Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan intend to expand the tripartite gas alliance.
"Russia advocates for stable and long-term supplies of 'blue fuel' to ensure energy security and sustainable development for the entire Central Asian region," said a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Afterward, Ashgabat, through the words of the Deputy Head of "Turkmengaz," Myrad Archaev, stated that Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan have been cooperating for a long time and supplying gas to China with "clearly coordinated volumes, timelines, economic, and technical parameters," and there are no provisions for gas sources from other countries to fill the pipeline.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
September 28, 2023