OREANDA-NEWS. The Gazprom headquarters hosted today a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee and Claudio Descalzi, Chief Operating Officer of Eni.

The meeting participants addressed a wide range of issues dedicated to the current state and the future dynamics of the European gas market. The parties confirmed their intention to continue the close cooperation in the Italian and European gas markets, particularly under the existing contracts.

The companies’ executives also discussed the progress with infrastructure projects on Russian natural gas supplies to Europe.

“Successful implementation of pipeline projects, for instance, Nord Stream and Blue Stream, mostly hinges on a high level of teamwork among the partners and contractors, such as Saipem. That is why we can already see the great potential of the further cooperation with Saipem under Gazprom’s current and future projects,” said Alexey Miller.

Eni is a global energy company represented in oil and gas sectors, power generation and sales, petrochemistry, service and engineering support to oil fields. Eni is Gazprom’s major partner within the Blue Stream gas pipeline project.

Italy is the third consumer of Russian gas behind Germany and Turkey and the second – in the EU. Gazprom supplied Italy with 21.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2014.

Running from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream is an export gas pipeline with an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters.

Blue Stream is an export gas pipeline with the annual capacity of 16 billion cubic meters, running under the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey.

Saipem was a contractor for the Nord Stream and Blue Stream construction.

Saipem S.p.A. is a subsidiary of Italian oil and gas concern Eni and one of the world’s largest oil and gas industry contractors having a large fleet for conducting marine operations and laying offshore gas pipelines with various diameters at a range of depths.