MUNICH, July 15 (RIA Novosti) -Nabucco is...

The 6 billion-euro Nord Stream pipeline being built jointly by Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea is planned to eventually pump 55 bcm of gas per year to Western Europe, bypassing traditional transit nations.

Europe has expressed concerns about being dependent on Russia, which supplies a quarter of its gas needs. Calls for diversified supplies intensified following a recent bitter price dispute between Russia and Ukraine in early 2009, when Moscow cut off gas to Ukraine, affecting consumers across Europe.

Moscow has argued, however, that South Stream and Nord Stream would cut EU dependence on transit states like Ukraine and improve European energy security.