Connector to Link Key Russian Networks Amid Delays to Major Sakhalin Gas Project
Russian energy giant Gazprom is accelerating the construction of a new pipeline connector between its existing Sila Sibiri 1 and Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok networks. This move is aimed at ensuring the company meets its annual commitment of delivering 10 billion cubic meters of gas to China, following delays in the South Kirinskoye offshore gas project near Sakhalin Island.
The South Kirinskoye field, with recoverable reserves of over 800 billion cubic meters, was expected to become a primary source of gas for China, utilizing the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok pipeline and the planned Sila Sibiri 3 route. However, the project faced setbacks when Russian state contractor Almaz-Antey failed to deliver subsea production infrastructure on schedule. This delay follows the withdrawal of U.S.-based FMC Technologies (now part of TechnipFMC) from a long-term contract to supply subsea gas templates, due to international sanctions imposed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Gazprom’s deputy executive chairman, Vitaly Markelov, announced at a forum in Vladivostok that the 880-kilometer pipeline connector will be operational by 2026. The new link will enable gas flows from Gazprom’s East Siberian fields—Kovykta and Chayanda—currently supplying China via Sila Sibiri 1, to connect to the Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok pipeline, with eventual delivery through Sila Sibiri 3 to China. Sila Sibiri 3 is scheduled to come online by January 2027.
Initial plans by Russia’s first deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, had projected the pipeline connector to be operational by 2029, but recent developments have expedited the timeline. Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov confirmed that Almaz-Antey is expected to start delivering subsea wellheads for the South Kirinskoye field before the end of this year, with subsea trees for the project slated for delivery by 2026.
Almaz-Antey has established facilities in Nizhny Novgorod to produce both subsea gas production parts and air defense systems, but the contractor has yet to comment on the current project timeline.