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A rational policy decision or political deal? A multiple streams' examination of the Russia-China natural gas pipeline

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  • Liu, Dawei
  • Xu, Hang

Abstract

After more than twenty years of waiting, the first gas pipeline connecting Russia and China—the Power of Siberia—began transporting gas in December 2019. Although much has been discussed concerning disputes over pricing and the route of this pipeline, the relevant events inside each nation, e.g. China's energy mix transition, its gas pricing reform, the reshuffle of Russia's natural gas industry, etc., that helped catalyze the deal have yet to be fleshed out. This paper analyzes the decision-making behind the deal using the multiple streams framework (MSF) which is well suited for the examination of decision-making under circumstances of ambiguity. Our analysis demonstrates the ambiguous policymaking circumstances for the gas deal and reveals how policy disputes over price and routing paralleled and interacted with the changing political landscapes and shifting problem agendas in both nations before they were coupled together by political leaders in 2014. The insights derived here are also helpful in analyzing other cross-border pipeline deals.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Dawei & Xu, Hang, 2021. "A rational policy decision or political deal? A multiple streams' examination of the Russia-China natural gas pipeline," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:148:y:2021:i:pb:s0301421520306844
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111973
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

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    2. Yang, Weixin & Pan, Lingying & Ding, Qinyi, 2023. "Dynamic analysis of natural gas substitution for crude oil: Scenario simulation and quantitative evaluation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    3. Shuguang Liu & Jiayi Wang & Yin Long, 2023. "Research into the Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Technological Innovation in China’s Natural Gas Industry from the Perspective of Energy Transition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-34, April.
    4. Wen, Kai & Lu, Yangfan & Lu, Meitong & Zhang, Wenwei & Zhu, Ming & Qiao, Dan & Meng, Fanpeng & Zhang, Jing & Gong, Jing & Hong, Bingyuan, 2022. "Multi-period optimal infrastructure planning of natural gas pipeline network system integrating flowrate allocation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    5. Kulmer, Veronika & Seebauer, Sebastian & Hinterreither, Helene & Kortschak, Dominik & Theurl, Michaela C. & Haas, Willi, 2022. "Transforming the s-shape: Identifying and explaining turning points in market diffusion curves of low-carbon technologies in Austria," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    6. Xin Guan & Xiangyi Lu & Yang Wen, 2022. "Is China’s Natural Gas Consumption Converging? Empirical Research Based on Spatial Econometrics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-13, December.

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