Vladimir Putin unveiled the Power Siberia gas corridor through a remote video link, highlighting a milestone for Russia’s energy infrastructure.
He directed the control room with a straightforward command: Get to work. Putin noted that the Eastern Siberia zone houses the largest recoverable gas reserves, estimated at 1.8 trillion cubic meters. The Kovykta–Chayanda segment spans 804 kilometers, linking the Kovykta field with the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia.
Putin explained that Kovykta will yield the most valuable chemical raw material, gas condensate, and he pointed out that the pipeline and railway systems have been prepared to support its shipments.
These facilities are designed to bolster gas supplies to Russia’s eastern regions and to fulfill the country’s export commitments to China. He emphasized that a major gas transportation route will operate along its entire length, stating that it will exceed 3,000 kilometers when completed.
He described the project as a strategically important industrial complex that enables the extraction, transport, and processing of natural gas in a streamlined sequence.
The launch also created new jobs, and during the video conference he thanked the geologists, engineers, builders, workers, and production managers who contributed to developing the Irkutsk gas production center, according to the remarks captured in the conference. Putin stressed that such projects hold significant importance for Russia’s economy and for the social and economic well-being of the country in a broad sense, noting that the work promises stability and improved living conditions for millions in the eastern regions.
Regional authorities in Irkutsk aim to expand gas consumption sevenfold and, by 2027, raise the population gasification rate from 1 percent to about 2.2 percent, Anatoly Nikitin, the region’s minister of housing policy and energy, was cited as saying in a report to TASS. Alexey Miller, head of Gazprom, attended the ceremony and provided context on the number of people employed across different sectors, though he offered only a rough estimate of salary levels, describing them as tens of thousands of rubles. Miller underscored the importance of the Kovykta field and the Amur gas processing plant for Russia’s industrial development, asserting that these assets create new opportunities for socio-economic progress and higher exports, while signaling Russia’s leadership in helium production on the world stage. According to Miller, gas from the Chayandinskoye and Kovykta fields will be processed at the Amur gas processing plant, and Putin remarked that the design capacity of the Kovykta and Chayandinskoye fields exceeds 50 billion cubic meters of gas each year.
The president highlighted that this resource base is central to the Amur gas processing facility, which is one of the world’s largest and most modern. The plant is planned to produce ethane, propane, helium, and other commodity products demanded by chemical, utilities, and related industries, as stated in the discussion with industry leaders and observers. The overall message emphasizes a future-oriented energy strategy that strengthens regional energy security while expanding Russia’s role in global gas markets. All figures reflect the comprehensive planning and investment that support these large-scale projects, which are presented as critical to the country’s industrial and economic trajectory, including future export capabilities and domestic energy resilience.