Energy cooperation, a core ingredient of Russia-China economic ties, has yielded fruitful results over recent years and should be further enhanced in the future, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said.

The ongoing large-scale joint oil, gas, electricity, coal, nuclear and energy-efficiency projects would not only benefit both countries, but also reshape regional economic infrastructure, Dvorkovich told Xinhua in a recent interview ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Russia.

Xi is scheduled to arrive in Russia on March 22 for a state visit, the first leg of his four-nation tour, which also includes stops in Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo.

In 2011, Russia started shipping crude oil to China via the Skovorodino-Mohe pipeline, with an annual volume of 15 million tons. In 2012, four million tons of crude oil was shipped to China through the seaport of Kozmino, Dvorkovich said.

Currently, Russia and China are mulling a draft inter-governmental agreement on an oil refinery project in China's northern city of Tianjin.

Signing such agreements will boost economic efficiency and will benefit both Chinese and Russian companies, he added.

Besides oil cooperation, electricity trade between Russia and China is also booming. Russia sold 1.24 billion kWh of electricity to China in 2011, and 2.63 billion kWh in 2012, said the Russian official.

Cooperation in nuclear power is also thriving. Russia and China have closely cooperated in the construction of the second phase of the Tianwan nuclear power plant in eastern China, he added.

Meanwhile, Russia is exporting traditional energy sources to China such as coal, which could hit 30 million tons in the near future, Dvorkovich said.

The Russian official highlighted cooperation in gas, which has strategic importance for the two countries.

Companies from both countries are expected to finalize details by 2013 on the shipment of 38 billion cubic meters of gas to China every year through the Russia-China border pumping station, Dvorkovich said.

The energy sector is one of the most promising areas of Russia-China ties and both countries should tap the potential of the sector and facilitate further cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit, he said.

Dvorkovich also said the results of Xi's visit would define the major directions for further development of Russia-China relations, including in the energy sector, and give an additional push to joint energy projects.