Gazprom to revisit Europe gas pipeline projects
April 4, 2013, 12:42 pm

Russian President Vladimir Putin (l) and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller discuss pipeline projects [PPIO]

“I’d like you to return to the Yamal-Europe-2 project too. I know that you are in active discussions with our partners on this. This project would increase reliability of gas supplies to Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary,” Putin said at the meeting with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller.

After gas wars with Ukraine, Russia started to look for alternative ways of pipeline construction, bypassing Kiev.

Two options were on the table – Nord Stream, a natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea, and Yama-Europe-2 via Belarus.

Russia has also announced its plans to build two branches to the United Kingdom.

Last December Gazprom started the construction of South Stream through the Black Sea.

The Yamal-Europe-2 project is being piped to guarantee stable gas supplies to Central and Eastern Europe.

“In this respect, as you instructed, we have drawn up a project for a gas pipeline that will run from Belarus, given that transit via Belarus through the Yamal-Europe-1 pipeline is the best option in economic terms at the moment,” Miller said at the meeting with the president.

Gazprom has also studied the possibility of constructing a branch pipeline to the Kaliningrad region.

“We did the studies and now have a favourable report on the feasibility of building a branch pipeline from either the first or second section of the Nord Stream system,” Miller said.

Putin said this will “put an end to the concerns our Polish friends have had and would also ensure more reliable supplies to Hungary and Slovakia” and “to guarantee more stable and reliable gas transit to the European Union countries”.

Daria Chernyshova