30 September 2003 21:45
Ruhrgas AG may work with Gazprom on energy conservation projects
MOSCOW. Sept 30 (Interfax) - Ruhrgas AG may one day join forces with Gazprom to develop energy conservation projects,
but the emphasis in cooperation with the Russian gas giant will still be on long-term contracts.
Furthermore, a lot of complex issues are associated with increasing deliveries of Russian gas to the Western European
market, Ruhrgas CEO Burckhard Bergmann has said.
"We are now successfully working with Gazprom on the transit of Russian gas through Germany to markets located
beyond its western border. New trends in the development of cooperation in the future will be determined by the
privatization processes taking place in some countries of Central and Eastern Europe," Bergmann, who is also a
Gazprom director, said in an interview in the Tuesday edition of Vremya Novostei.
Bergmann said Ruhrgas owns approximately 6.5% of Gazprom, either directly or indirectly.
"We have increased our package of shares gradually since 1998 in several stages. A further increase of our stake
in Gazprom will depend on the development of general conditions, including Russian gas market reform and liberalization
of the Gazprom share market. We cannot say anything new on this matter now," he noted.
Speaking about the liberalization of the Russian gas market, Bergmann said: "It is quite clear that politicians
are approaching issues relating to reforms very cautiously. The importance of Gazprom for the reliability of gas supply
and the state budget is so great that the Russian government cannot afford any reformist experiments here,"
Bergmann said. [RU EEU EUROPE ASIA EMRG ENR DE] av tl
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