Italian energy giant Eni SpA (E) will meet the European Commission on Nov. 27 for a hearing about an allegation that the company has restricted rivals from gaining access to its natural gas pipeline network, a commission spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The hearing, which was postponed from Nov. 17 at Eni's request, is the final step before the commission concludes its inquiry into whether Eni has abused its dominant position. In theory, the commission, the European Union's antitrust body, could fine the company for as much as 10% of its annual revenue.
The commission's probe began in 2007 and targets Eni's management of the TAG pipeline, which carries natural gas from Russia to Italy, as well as the TENP and Transitgas pipelines, which carry gas from Northern Europe to Italy. Eni supplies 21% of the Continent's natural gas.