Russ Oil-Gas

On a Side Gazprom Acquired Controlling Stake in Russian-German Pipeline
04.05.2006 11:23 [Neftegaz.ru]- Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has acquired 51 percent of common stocks of NEGP Co., the operator under North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP) project, from Gremany's ZGG GmbH. The stocks were added to Gazprom balance April 10, 2006. Russia's Gazprom and two German firms E.ON Ruhrgas AG and Wintershall AG sealed a preliminary agreement of holders in November 2005. Under the agreement, the partners set up a venture of Russia and Germany, North European Gas Pipeline Co., where Gazprom holds 51 percent, BASF and E.ON – 24.5 percent each. The fourth partner of Gazprom in the project will probably get 9 percent built up from the stakes currently owned by BASF and E.ON. MOSCOW, May 3 (RIA Novosti) - Energy giant Gazprom announced Wednesday that it had acquired a 51% stake in North European Gas Pipeline Company from ZGG GmbH, an affiliated company in Germany. The package of shares was transferred to Gazprom's balance sheet on April 10, following the board's approval. The joint Russian-German NEGP Company was formed for the construction of the underwater stretch of the North European Gas Pipeline project. Construction under the 4.7-billion euro project, which is managed by Gazprom, began last year. The pipeline, which is to include two parallel legs measuring 750 miles each, will connect the Baltic seashore near the Russian city of Vyborg with the Greifswald region on the German coast. The first leg of the pipeline is expected to have an estimated capacity of 27.5 billion cubic meters, and the second will double the NEGP capacity to 55 billion cu m annually.