FACTBOX-Gazprom pursues global expansion

GERMANY

- Gazprom said on Feb 29 that it plan to build joint gas-fired power plant in Lubmin. The firm said it would take a final decision on the plant in 2009, adding that the new plant would have capacity of 1,200 MW. The new plant to go on stream in 2011.

- Already Gazprom supplies one third of Germany's gas under term deals with E.ON's Ruhrgas and BASF's Wintershall. It controls a 1,830 km gas pipeline network in Germany via Wingas -- a joint venture between Gazprom and Wintershall, Western Europe's largest gas storage company.

- In October 2007, Gazprom and BASF completed a deal that gave BASF unit Wintershall 25 percent minus one share in its Yuzhno Russkoye gas field and increased Gazprom's share in a joint venture Wingas. The following month, Gazprom announced it had also given BASF one preferred share with no voting rights, raising BASF's stake to 35 percent.

- Industry sources have said Gazprom is seeking stakes in British power assets owned by E.ON in return for offering E.ON interests in Russian gas fields.

HUNGARY

- Hungary formally signed a deal on Feb 28 to join Gazprom's 10 billion euros ($15.10 billion) South Stream gas pipeline.

The pipeline, which will be jointly built by Gazprom and Italy's ENI (ENI.MI: Quote, Profile, Research), will take 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) of Russian gas to southern Europe a year.

- Gazprom and MOL have formed a company to study the proposed extension of the Blue Stream gas pipeline, which takes Russian gas to northern Turkey.