Gazprom and Croatian pipeline operator Plinacro are in talks about routing the proposed South Stream pipeline through Croatia rather than Hungary, a Plinacro spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
South Stream, a Russian-backed pipeline project to ship gas from the Caspian region, is expected to cost more than 15 billion euros ($18.51 billion) and export 63 billion cubic meters of gas to southern Europe from 2015.
Croatia and? Russia? signed an agreement on the South Stream project in 2010, but details were never finalized nor confirmed by either country.
"The fact is that we are having intense talks but the final decision rests with Gazprom," the spokeswoman said.
"We can't say when they will decide, but it could be within a week, a month, or by the end of this year," she added in a telephone interview.
A final investment decision on South Stream, a rival to an EU-backed pipeline project called Nabucco, is expected in November, with construction to start in December.
Other partners in the project include Eni of? Italy, France's EDF and Germany's Wintershall.
Russia, which has launched the first line of the 55 billion cubic meter per year Nord Stream pipeline across the Baltic Sea to? Germany, continues to push export routes for its conventional gas that bypass transit nations such as Ukraine.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.