Salzgitter AG. sees political opposition to the planned Nord Stream Baltic Sea gas pipeline causing delays of up to six months, Financial Times Deutschland reported, citing the head of company's pipe division, Wolfgang Eging.

"Then we will just produce for inventory," Eging told the newspaper.

"The political opposition from Scandinavia and Poland will dissolve soon."

Russia's OAO Gazprom owns a 51 percent stake in the consortium building the pipeline, while Germany's BASF SE. and E.ON AG. each own 24.5 percent.

Gazprom has vowed to build the pipeline, which will supply Western Europe with gas, below the Baltic Sea in order to reduce the number of transit countries. This has met with sharp criticism in Poland and other Eastern European countries.

Salzgitter's Europipe unit was chosen to supply 75 percent of pipes needed to construct the pipeline.

The company also hopes to win contracts related to the Nabucco pipeline project that will deliver natural gas from the Caspian Sea region to Europe.

"We are very interested," Eging said.

"We are waiting to hear the technical specifications and expect a call for tenders in 2010."

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Related Project
Nord Stream Pipeline
Facility Type: Pipeline Owner: Nord Stream AG
Scope: New Construction Location: Vyborg, Russia to Greifswald, Germany Russian Federation