OREANDA-NEWS. October 31, 2008. An OAO Gazprom delegation led by CEO Alexei Miller took part yesterday in a gala event in Munich marking 35 years of Russian natural gas supply to Germany in cooperation with E.ON Ruhrgas Company.

In his opening speech Mr. Miller said: “Today we look back on 35 years of cooperation between Gazprom and E.ON Ruhrgas in the gas sphere. During that time our cooperation passed a serious test, and today we can say firmly and confidently that Gazprom and E.ON Ruhrgas – Russia and Germany – are reliable, predictable partners who can keep their word, partners who work according to the principle of mutually-profitable cooperation.

The most striking project in our cooperation today is the Nord Stream project. And we see that this project is currently being implemented in very similar conditions to 35 years ago during the time of the great transaction of gas in exchange for pipes. We see the same friends and the same friendly approaches in both the Nord Stream project and that great transaction. However, unlike that rather distant time, we have very good aces in our hands. These are the very high level of trust in the energy sphere and extensive experience working together.

Today our cooperation is on a qualitatively higher level. We are working along the entire chain—from production to marketing of gas. We’ve also entered a new market together—that of electric power. Meanwhile, E.ON Ruhrgas is taking part in a very large production project in Russia – the development of the Yuzhno-Russkoye field.

Thirty-five years of cooperation with E.ON Ruhrgas have shown that this joint work is not only about business and gas, but also trust and friendship.”

Since 1973 E.ON Ruhrgas has purchased a total of 520 bn m3 of natural gas from Russia at a total cost of ?55 bn. Today Russian gas is the central component of E.ON Ruhrgas’ purchases. It comprises about 37% of the total gas supply to Germany. Russia will continue to play an important role in supplying gas to the EU since it has the world’s largest reserves of natural gas that is accessible by pipeline transport.

“Cooperation between E.ON Ruhrgas and Gazprom goes beyond the natural gas trade. In recent years our companies have implemented a number of large-scale projects that mark new milestones in the development of the energy partnership between Russia and the EU. These include the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline and joint participation in the development of the Yuzhno-Russkoye field, which will allow E.ON Ruhrgas to take the next step towards achieving its stated goal of raising its own production to at least 10 bn m3 of natural gas per year.

Today, as we celebrate 35 years of Russian natural gas supply to Germany and look back at many years of cooperation and friendly relations between Gazprom and E.ON Ruhrgas, we know for sure that reliability, activeness and partnership will remain factors that determine the success of our cooperation,” said E.ON Ruhrgas AG CEO Dr. Bernhard Reutersberg.