Laying the pipes

To fulfil its ambitions to create a single, united energy market supplied by a diversity of gas exporters, the EU needs infrastructure in place. Derek Brower looks at what is being built and where

THE POLITICS of natural gas in Europe are determined by infrastructure. As demand for gas in the European Union (EU) continues to grow and the Union's own reserves continue to fall, the prospect of relying on ever-growing volumes of imported gas has brought a new set of worries to politicians and consumers across the continent. Yet increasing Europe's imports of natural gas need not, in the best case, be a problem. The world has plenty of gas and Europe is close to some of the world's biggest gas-producing regions – Russia, the Middle East and North Africa. And the EU's forecast growth in gas demand should make all of those exporters eager to sell gas into the continent. An abundance of expo