Gazprom secures Slovenian leg in pipeline project

[November 13, 2012]  MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian gas giant Gazprom took a step closer on Tuesday in its plan to lay a major pipeline network across Europe after it struck a deal with Slovenia, one of the countries the pipe passes through.

The South Stream pipeline project, due to start operating in 2015, is set to pump up to 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Russia under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Italy in one leg, and Croatia and Greece in a second.

The project is funded by Gazprom, which owns 50 percent in the pipeline, along with partners France's EdF, Italy's Eni and Germany's Wintershall.

Gazprom's chief executive Alexei Miller said Tuesday that the final investment agreement on the South Stream would be unveiled on Wednesday while construction would begin on Dec. 7 on the Russian Black Sea's coast.

Miller's statement came after Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his Slovenian counterpart, Janez Jansa, attended the signing of an agreement in Moscow giving the green light for the project.

Analysts and investors have warned that the project is too costly and the considerable investment involved in its construction and maintenance would hurt Gazprom's balance sheet.

Russia has also yet to secure approval for the pipeline's construction from Bulgaria, which is looking negotiate lower gas prices as part of the project.

Gazprom's stocks were down 1.6 percent Tuesday afternoon at the MICEX stock exchange, in line with the market.

[Associated Press]

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