Dutch gas transport company Gasunie has been invited to joint a consortium hoping to bring Norwegian gas southeast to Sweden, Denmark and possibly Poland, Norwegian pipeline operator Gassco said on its Web site Tuesday.

The Skanled Project Group is alreadly eight companies and Gasunie is seen helping prepare a final investment decision for the proposed Skanled gas pipeline.

The Skanled Group aims to submit a plan of operation to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in April 2009.

“Skanleds potential to enhance the diversity of supply in the North European region made us decide to join the Project Group in this phase”, Gasunie chief exec Marcel Kramer said in a statement on Gassco's Web site. The Dutch are seen replacing Swedegas and Göteborg Energi (partly) as partner in the Project Group.

The Norwegians via Gassco are already big exporters of gas to Europe, and every year Gazprom and Norway vy to be the No. 1 supplier to German gas companies.

Gasunie, meanwhile, already links Norwegian, Russian and Dutch gas in a vast North European grid aimed at gas markets in The Netherlands, Belgiium, Britain, Denmark and Germany.

Tags: Gassco, Gasunie