MOSCOW, May 25 (Reuters) - German gas market leader E.ON could join Russia's South Stream pipeline project, the head of Russia's gas pipeline monopoly Gazprom said during a visit to Brussels, Interfax news agency reported.
"The fact that E.ON Ruhrgas is present says something," Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told reporters, referring to E.ON’s presence at a Russian-European gas meeting that focused on the South Stream pipeline project.
The project will transport Russian gas under the Black Sea to Europe, bypassing traditional transit countries such as Ukraine.
"Such a major project cannot remain outside the field of vision of such a major partner as our long-standing partner (E.ON)," Miller said.
In March, Germany’s Wintershall, a unit of BASF, said it would invest about 2 billion euros for a 15 percent stake in the project, in which Italy’s Eni and France’s EDF also have stakes.
Earlier European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger during a presentation of the South Stream gas pipeline project in Brussels called for an end to Gazprom’s export monopoly in Russia on Wednesday.
"We would like to have a world without barter and borders, in which export monopolies would be eliminated," he said.
"We would like NOVATEK (and other companies to do so [and export gas]," Oettinger said.
Oettinger said also that the European Commission will support construction of the South Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Europe and will not impose bureaucratic encumbrances on it.
"South Stream is an important project for Russia and for Europe as a means to diversify supplies," he said.
South Stream is looking to gain more favour in the EU, which already supports the rival $10.8 billion Nabucco project that will sidestep Russia and Ukraine by piping gas directly from Central Asia to Europe under the Black Sea.
The South Stream pipeline aims to transport up to 63 billion cubic metres of gas to central and southern Europe and the total investment cost is estimated at around $21.5 billion.
