The Western Finland Environmental Permit Authority feels that the schedule for the licencing process for the planned Baltic Sea gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany poses a “challenge”.
A final decision on permission for the construction of the pipeline planned by the Russian and German joint venture Nord Stream through the Finnish economic zone in the Gulf of Finland is to be made by a team of three persons at the Western Finland Environmental Permit Authority. The group is chaired by Mika Seppälä.
Seppälä will not say that the officials have been pressured either by Nord Stream or politicians, but he does say that “synchronising schedules” has taken some work.
“Some types of work cannot be done in the winter, and in with some kinds of tasks, the necessary ships are available only for a certain period of time.”
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) has emphasised that time is running short with the licences.
He said during the weekend that the government will be ready in September or October to make its own decision. Minister of the Environment Paula Lehtomäki (Centre) echoed Vanhanen by noting that there is sufficient information on the matter.
After the government’s go-ahead, the permit authority should be able to make its own decision. Seppälä says that the process has been planned in such a way that the decision would come out in October and the licence itself could be granted in December.
After that, there is time for possible appeals. One key question is whether or not Nord Stream would be entitled to begin the work on the pipeline even if appeals are lodged against it, as it would like to.
“This is a question that is very difficult for us to decide”, Seppälä says.
If Nord Stream gets permission without a ban on starting work, it is expected to start its work in the Baltic Sea at the beginning of next year.
On Monday, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Päet briefly commented on the positive attitude taken by Finnish political leaders toward Nord Stream. “Finland has the sovereign right to decide on how its economic zone is used.” He also said that he believes that the environmental questions that come forward will be taken into consideration in the process.
