Journalists' interlocutors claim that the import of Russian electricity has been stopped completely, although contracts provide for the purchase of minimum volumes of about 12 MW.
The refusal to supply was the result of high export prices, which in 2026 exceeded domestic Chinese prices for the first time, the publication writes.
Kommersant draws attention to the fact that the contract for the supply of electricity is valid between China and the Russian Federation until 2037, but in 2026, the export of electricity from Russia to China is “unlikely to resume” due to the fact that it is unprofitable for Beijing.
The price formula established by the contract is unknown, the media emphasizes. The authors of the material assume that it is tied to a single-rate price (power plus electricity) in the Far East and also takes into account the tariff for transmitting current to China.
The Russian Ministry of Energy admitted that exports could resume in the event of a “new request from China,” the media notes.
The material states that since the beginning of 2026, electricity prices have been growing at an “accelerating pace” in the Far East, and by the end of January they could increase by 42% compared to prices in January 2025.
Citing experts, Kommersant notes that the capacity of China’s energy system is approximately 100 times greater than that of eastern Russia, and the volumes of supplies from here were “quite small” for the PRC compared to domestic production, and China can replace these volumes.
