Russian Gazprom announced on Saturday that the company’s CEO Alexey Miller (pictured) and Austria’s prime minister Hans Joerg Schelling attended a meeting to discuss the European gas market and the establishment of a new key gas hub project during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Gazprom is expecting the demand for gas to continue at the same level, mostly led by the current decline of gas production, the company said in a statement. Guided by such predictions, Gazprom and Austria discussed the establishment of a direct gas transmission route from Russia to Europe.
“Particularly, the meeting focused on implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project. It was stressed out that the gas pipeline will strengthen Baumgarten’s positions as the key European gas distribution center," Gazprom stated.
Austria has increased its gas imports from Russia by 19% since the beginning of 2016 and is currently importing 1.9 billion cubic meters of gas.
Image: EPA / Stanislav Krasilnikov / TASS / Host
