Reuters: Public relations contest around European pipeline projects heats up
Russia is stepping up a public relations effort in support of its controversial South Stream gas pipeline project to supply southern Europe, but a rival project to bring gas from Azerbaijan is also upping its game.
Russia is Europe's biggest supplier of natural gas, meeting almost a third of the region's demand. Almost half of that gas is piped to the European Union via Ukraine.
South Stream is designed to carry 63 billion cubic metres of gas per year, equivalent to almost 15 percent of EU demand, from Russia via the Black Sea into central and southern Europe. It would bypass Ukraine and help Russia cement its position as Europe's dominant gas supplier.