Are Gazprom, EU Burying the Hatchet to Save South Stream?

Russia’s Gazprom said it is advancing with its South Stream project, announcing on Tuesday that it will announce the designed of the Hungarian section towards Baumgarten by the end of October.

‘Budapest hosted today a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary. The talks were focused on the issues of reliable and uninterrupted gas supplies in the coming winter period. The parties paid special attention to the implementation of the South Stream project and noted that it was progressing to schedule,’ the company wrote on its website. 

According to the company, a bidding procedure is underway for selecting a contractor to carry out design and survey activities, spatial planning and environmental impact assessment (EIA).

‘The designer will be selected before the end of October 2014. Hungary will receive first gas via the gas pipeline in early 2017.’

Meanwhile, an interim agreement between Ukraine, Russia and the EU seems increasingly possible.

According to AFP, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger warned Russia to avoid confrontation using gas supplies as an instrument to foster a confrontation to gain the upper hand in the negotiations over Ukraine. And Moscow seems increasingly open about possibilities of meeting halfway. 

According to local reports, Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS)’s chief Igor Artemyev said that the FAS is  avoiding opening cases against Wester companies.