Russian state gas monopoly Gazprom has stated that within one week it will select the winners of the tenders worth about $1 billion to supply the pipes for the eastern part of the pipeline that will link the backbone network of the monopoly with the South Stream pipeline, which will stretch across the Black Sea to Europe, bypassing Ukraine.
The tender involves all the key Russian pipe producers which built new capacities worth billions of dollars specifically for the projects of Gazprom.