VIENNA, June 4. /TASS/. The Nord Stream natural gas pipeline will allow diversification of gas supplies routes to Europe, OMV’s spokesperson Andreas Rinofner said in an interview with TASS, adding that the project enjoys full support from the Austrian oil and gas company.

Russia and Austria mark a 50-year anniversary of gas cooperation in June 2018. The Austrian Republic was the first Western European country to enter into a gas contract with the Soviet Union in 1968.

"OMV fully supports the Nord Stream 2 project. Taking into account the growth of demand for gas, the demand for imports is also rising, which is why additional capacities of supplies (to Europe) are required. We also consider it prudent to diversify the routes of pipelines," he explained.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is expected to come into service at the end of 2019. The pipeline is set to run from the Russian coast along the Baltic Sea bed to the German shore. Each of the pipeline’s two stretches will have a capacity of 27.5 bln cubic meters. The new pipeline that is expected to connect the Russian resource base with European customers, will double the capacity of the first line and will basically follow its route.

The total cost of the project is estimated at 9.5 bln euro. Gazprom is the only shareholder of Nord Stream 2 AG, which is the project’s operator. Gazprom's European partners in the project are Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall, Austrian OMV, French Engie and Anglo-Dutch Shell.