Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest utility, may take a stake in OAO Gazprom’s South Stream natural-gas pipeline as it seeks more of the fuel to feed planned power plants.

EDF “hopes to get an agreement in the coming weeks,” Dominique Venet, executive vice president of gas at the French utility, said today in Paris. The accord may result in the company getting “several” billion cubic meters of gas a year, he said.

The 900-kilometer (560-mile) pipeline, due to open at the end of 2015, is designed to link Russia to the Balkans, where it will split into northern and southern routes. The pipe would bypass Ukraine, potentially avoiding a repeat of the gas disputes that have curbed supplies to Europe twice since 2006.

Venet said EDF may acquire a minority interest in the pipe’s underwater section traversing the Black Sea, with Gazprom retaining control and Eni SpA remaining a partner. The size of the stake “depends on the size of the project,” he said.

“We are not an investment company wanting a piece of the hardware, but an energy company,” he said. “We are interested in securing our supply.”

EDF needs additional gas to fuel proposed power plants in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.K. that will in part replace coal-fired generators, Venet said. The Paris-based utility’s gas portfolio is set to rise to 45 billion cubic meters in 2015 from 26 billion cubic meters in 2008, he said.

The increased volume will “mostly come from long-term contracts and the spot market,” as well as from the utility’s own reserves, Venet said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tara Patel in Paris at tpatel2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 21, 2009 11:43 EDT