Energy in Italy

The South Stream-Bulgaria company has assured that work on the local section of the gas pipeline project continues.

The comments of the South Stream-Bulgaria company, as cited by ITAR-TASS, came after the announcement of the European Parliament that the project should not be implemented.

The planned South Stream pipeline project is a display of the excellent relations the Kremlin has with the Bulgarian government, according to an article published in Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The decision taken by Bulgaria's government in March regarding the South Stream was astonishing, the author, Florian Hassel, argues.

Leonid Chugunov, head of the Russian gas and oil giant's Project Management Department, said basic construction and assembly works of the South Stream pipeline are expected to start at the end of the second quarter of 2014, according to the timetable.

Gazprom: South Stream works continue in summer

BELGRADE -- The South Stream gas pipeline project in Serbia will this year enter its active implementation stage, a Gazprom official has said.

BELGRADE - The South Stream gas pipeline project in Serbia will this year enter its active implementation stage, with basic construction and assembly works expected to start at the end of the second quarter of 2014, according to an adopted timetable, the head of Gazprom's Project Management Department Leonid Chugunov has said.

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, said that Serbia was preserving vital national interests with regard to the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline in cooperation with Russia.

"Serbia will protect its interests, but we are not the major player and we do not get to decide on the most important issues," Vucic said on Wednesday.

South Stream Transport signed a contract with Saipem for the construction of the first line of the South Stream Offshore Pipeline and the micro-tunnels for the 4 pipeline strings.

The contracts for the supply of the pipes have already been signed for the first two lines, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), citing a media statement of the company.

Part of the South Stream gas pipeline could pass through Crimea, according to some Russian media reports confirmed by Bulgaria's Deputy Economy Minister.

Business outlet RosInvest has suggested that Gazprom would consider the move once the situation in Ukraine de-escalates.

Germany's concern Siemens is to provide the electrical systems and control and measurement apparatus for the offshore section of the South Stream.

The future of the South Stream pipeline is unclear and probably it will not be realized soon, said the head of the Italian company Eni, Paolo Scaroni. 

Eni is one of the key shareholders in the project and holds 20% of its shares. Eni is the largest Italian gas company and the main distributor of gas from Russia's Gazprom in Italy.