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Overview

CDB provides $10 billion loan to Transneft for East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Oil Pipeline Project (Linked to Record ID#43069)

Commitments (Constant USD, 2023)$13,873,177,697
Commitment Year2009Country of ActivityRussiaDirect Recipient Country of IncorporationRussiaSectorIndustry, Mining, ConstructionFlow TypeLoan

Status

Project lifecycle

Completion

Pipeline: PledgePipeline: CommitmentImplementationCompletion

Timeline

Key dates

Commitment date
Feb 1, 2009
Start (actual)
Apr 27, 2008
End (actual)
Jan 1, 2011
First repayment
Jan 31, 2014
Last repayment
Jan 27, 2029

Geospatial footprint

Map overview

Visualizes the AidData-provided feature geometry for this project.

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This project involved the construction of a 64 km crude oil pipeline from Scovorodino to the Amur River on Russia-China border. More detailed locational information can be found at: https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=fossgis_osrm_bike&route=53.9856%2C123.9421%3B53.4795%2C123.8901

Stakeholders

Organizations involved in projects and activities supported by financial and in-kind transfers from Chinese government and state-owned entities

Ultimate beneficial owners

At least 25% host country ownership

Funding agencies

State-owned Policy Banks

  • China Development Bank (CDB)

Receiving agencies

State-owned companies

  • OAO AK Transneft

Implementing agencies

State-owned companies

  • OAO AK Transneft

Collateral providers

State-owned companies

  • OAO AK Transneft

Loan desecription

CDB provides $10 billion loan to Transneft for East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Oil Pipeline Project

Grace period5 yearsInterest rate (t₀)4.91%Interest typeVariable Interest RateLoan tenor6-month rateMaturity20 years

Collateral

As collateral for the loan, Transneft signed an oil supply contract (effective on January 1, 2011) with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and agreed to sell it 120,000 barrels of crude oil per day (or 6 million tons of crude oil each year) for 20 years. If the average crude oil price was $50/bbl over the 20 year term of the oil supply contract, the total value of oil supplied over the entire delivery period (from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2030) was expected to equal approximately $27 billion. CNPC agreed to pay market prices for the oil and deposit payments for the oil into an escrow accoaunt at CDB opened on behalf of Transneft by OJSC Bank VTB (a Russian state-owned bank that acted as an agent for Transneft). CDB was granted the right to directly debit cash funds from the pledged escrow account to secure repayment of principal, interest and other amounts payable under the loan agreement. In the event of a default, CDB had the right to debit the entire cash balance of the escrow account.

Narrative

Full Description

Project narrative

In February 2009, China Development Bank and OAO AK Transneft — a Russian state-owned oil pipeline company — signed a $10 billion loan facility agreement for the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Oil Pipeline Project. The loan carried the following terms: a 20 year maturity, a 5 year grace period (during which only interest payments are due), and an annual interest rate of 6-month LIBOR plus a 3.25% margin. The proceeds of the loan were to be used by the borrower (a) to support the construction of a 64 km crude oil pipeline from Scovorodino to the Amur River on Russia-China border, and (b) for general corporate purposes. As collateral for the loan, Transneft signed an oil supply contract (effective on January 1, 2011) with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and agreed to sell it 120,000 barrels of crude oil per day (or 6 million tons of crude oil each year) for 20 years. CNPC agreed to pay market prices for the oil and deposit payments for the oil into an account at CDB opened on behalf of Transneft by OJSC Bank VTB (a Russian state-owned bank that acted as an agent for Transneft). CDB had the right to directly debit cash funds from the account to secure repayment of principal, interest and other amounts payable under the loan agreement. In the event of a default, CDB had the right to debit the entire cash balance of the account. The CDB loan disbursed in two tranches: a $9 billion tranche in 2009 and a $1 billion tranche in 2010. Transneft repaid the CDB loan in full in July 2018, ahead of schedule. CDB also provided a $15 billion loan to Rosneft for the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Oil Pipeline Project (as captured via Record ID#43069). OAO AK Transneft was responsible for the implementation of the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean Oil Pipeline Project. Construction began in the Russian territory on April 27, 2008 and in Chinese territory on May 18, 2009. The 64 km section from Skovorodino to the Amur River on Russia-China border was built by Transneft and the 992 km section from Russia-China border to Daqing was built by the China National Petroleum Corporation. It was completed in September 2010. On January 1, 2011, Russia announced that it had begun scheduled oil shipments to China.

Staff comments

1. This project is also known as the Russia-China Oil Pipeline Project or ESPO Pipeline Project. The Russian project title is Нефтепровод "Восточная Сибирь - Тихий океан”. 2. Most of China’s oil-backed loan agreements involve a bank, an oil company, and a trading firm. An oil company in the borrower country must sell a certain number of barrels during a specific period, and payments for the oil are sent directly to the bank. Therefore, the borrower uses the proceeds of oil sales to meet its loan repayment obligations. 3. Under Transeft’s oil supply contract with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the price of the crude oil was set each month based on the market quotes for Russia’s new ESPO blend crude at the Pacific port of Kozmino. 4. The collateral arrangement that underpins this loan agreement is described in detail at https://www.transneft.ru/u/section_file/37761/tn_ifrs_12m2018_eng.pdf. 5. AidData has estimated the loan's all-in interest rate -- at the time it was issued -- by adding 3.25% to average 6-month LIBOR rate in February 2009 (1.757%).