Russia's top natural gas producer Gazprom has cancelled a major tender worth 3.78 billion roubles ($50 million) for a domestic gas link needed for the expansion of Nord Stream, according to a government procurement website.

Gazprom has now cancelled tenders for the construction of the Ukhta-Torzhok 2 pipeline worth a total of around 16.8 billion roubles ($220.2 million).

Ukhta-Torzhok 2 is to allow more Russian gas to be fed into the expansion of the Nord Stream pipeline designed to carry Russian gas along the bed of the Baltic Sea to Germany. ($1 = 76.3125 roubles)