Background

Gasunie is a European gas infrastructure company, whose network ranks among the largest high pressure gas pipeline grids in Europe with the total annual gas throughput of approximately 125 billion cubic meters. Gasunie's network consists of over 15,000 kilometers of pipeline in the Netherlands and northern Germany and approximately 1,300 gas receiving stations. The company also offers gas and LNG storage services.

On November 6, 2007 Gazprom and Gasunie signed the Umbrella Agreement on joint participation the Nord Stream project and BBL. On June 10, 2008 Gasunie was added into the Nord Stream AG shareholders register as a new shareholder obtaining a 9 per cent stake in the joint venture.

On December 7, 2007 Gazprom and Gasunie signed the Agreement on Sci-Tech Collaboration.

On June 18, 2010 Gazprom and Gasunie signed the Memorandum of Understanding on strategic cooperation, which provides for expanding the two companies' interaction in the field of gas transportation infrastructure, underground gas storage, Nord Stream gas pipeline construction, sci-tech collaboration, LNG, environmental protection, energy efficiency, information and cultural exchange, personnel management, etc.

On October 20, 2011 Gazprom, Gasunie, Eurotechnika and BioGazEnergostroy Corporation signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the joint implementation of the “green gas” production project in Russia.

On April 8, 2013 Gazprom and Gasunie signed a document stipulating cooperation between the companies in exploring the possibilities for the Nord Stream gas pipeline expansion as well as setting up other infrastructure projects to secure gas supply for North-West Europe and the UK.

The share of Gasunie in Nord Stream AG equity capital is 9 per cent.