Trans-Korea Gas Pipeline

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Trans-Korea Gas Pipeline (Russian: Транскорейский газопровод) is a shelved pipeline in Russia, North Korea, and South Korea. There have not been any developments related to this pipeline since June 2019, and the project appears to be shelved.

Location

The pipeline was proposed to run from Vladivostok, Russia to industrial zones in South Korea. A 2018 joint Russian-Korean feasibility study proposed a 1202-km route from Vladivostok, Russia through North Korea to Wonsan, Cheorwon, Paju, Incheon, and Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The study also proposed a 1505-km route that would add a loop to Pyongyang and Kaesong, North Korea.

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Project Details

• Operator:
• Owner: KOGAS; Gazprom
• Parent company: KOGAS (Korea Gas Corporation); Gazprom
• Capacity: 7.5 million tonnes per year (1,071 million cubic feet per day)
• Length: 1,202 kilometers / 747 miles
• Diameter:
• Status: Shelved
• Start year:
• Cost: Estimated at US$2.5 billion
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure:

Background

The pipeline was included in a 2008 memorandum of understanding between KOGAS and Gazprom. The plan was to supply 7.5 million tonnes of Russian gas annually over 30 years from Vladivostok into North Korea and on to the South, starting from 2015. After a decade in which the project did not advance, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to conduct a joint study on the issue in June 2018. The pipeline was also discussed in June 2019 by officials and politicians from Russia, South Korea and Japan. There have not been any developments related to this pipeline since June 2019, and the project appears to be shelved.

Sanctions

Obstacles to developing the pipeline include United States and United Nations sanctions against North Korea for its ongoing development of its nuclear weapons program, and U.S. sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Crimea and parts of Ukraine. Should all obstacles be cleared, the pipeline could be completed within three years, according to South Korea’s POSCO Research Institute.