Competition for Russia's Gazprom in Natural Gas

A February 1 article investigates Mr. Reinhard Mitschek’s plan to connect a gas pipeline from the Caspian area to Western Europe. This would weaken the monopoly that Russia has in natural gas. The building of the pipeline is scheduled to begin in 2011; however, deciding who will provide the needed capital of €7.9 billion ($11.03 billion) to fund the project is still in question. But Mr. Mitschek is optimistic that many financiers will be willing to fund the long-term initiative rather than investing in volatile short-term ventures.