OREANDA-NEWS Russia can become the main gas exporter to China after the decision on the" Western route", the volume of deliveries can reach 80 billion cubic meters per year. This was told to journalists by the head of the state energy administration of China Nur Bekri after the meeting of the intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on trade and economic cooperation.

"We continue consultations and expect that we will get 30 billion cubic meters from the "Western route". If it turns out (to agree) on the" Western route", it will be more than 80 billion cubic meters. This means that Russia will take the first place among gas suppliers to China," he said.

The volume of gas supplies from Russia to China on the Far Eastern route may reach 5-10 billion cubic meters per year, said Nur Bekri.

"The companies of the two countries began negotiations on increasing the volume of gas from the Far East to China. According to the preliminary results of the talks between the two countries, the volume will be from 5 to 10 billion cubic meters," he said.

The contract for the supply of Russian gas from the Far East to China can be signed in the first half of 2019, head of the state energy Department of China Nur Bekri said following the results of the Russian-Chinese intergovernmental Commission on trade and economic cooperation.

"I look forward to the early signing between the companies. It would be good - in the first half of next year", - he said.

On Monday in Moscow, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Deputy Prime Minister of the state Council of China Han Zheng discussed the project of gas supplies from the Far East of Russia and the intensification of negotiations on the "Western route".

Last week, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia and China agreed to coordinate gas supplies via the "Western" route of the "power of Siberia" gas pipeline as soon as possible. According to this information, in Vladivostok at the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President XI Jinping set the task to negotiate the contract as soon as possible.

The meeting on Monday also discussed LNG supplies, cooperation in gas power generation and underground gas storage. In 2017, China accounted for 19% of the total LNG supplies of Gazprom group, and 0.62 million tons were exported to China, which is nine times higher than the volume of supplies in 2016 (0.07 million tons).

Gazprom is building the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, through which gas from the fields of Eastern Siberia (Chayandinsky in Yakutia and Kovyktinsky in the Irkutsk region) will be transported both to the domestic Russian market and for export to China. The project of gas supplies to the Eastern regions of China is also called the "Eastern route".