Gazprom executives made the comments at a conference in Amsterdam on June 6, coinciding with the firm’s announcement of an equity swap in pipeline assets with the Dutch firm Gasunie.
Britain is a very interesting market. We are now discussing a strategy of entering this market, said Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller. We are considering strategic partnerships on the British market and we are also considering buying assets in Britain.
In recent months Gazprom has been in the headlines in the UK amid speculation that it could make an all-out takeover bid for a British firm, with Centrica touted as the most likely target. This has prompted much discussion about whether Gazprom should be allowed to acquire what many would perceive as a nationally-important energy provider.
It remains unclear whether the UK government would actively seek to block a Gazprom-led purchase of Centrica, with chancellor Gordon Brown recently stating that he would be concerned about the political ramifications of such a deal.
Any move by the government to defend Centrica from the Russians would however leave it open to accusations of double standards given London’s fierce criticism of other European countries over their alleged protectionism in creating national industrial champions.
