Nord Stream clings on to routing north of Suursaari

Nord Stream, the Russian-German joint venture set up to to lay a pipeline for natural gas running from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, is hanging on to its primary routing north of the Russian island of Suursaari, insisting that it would be best for the environment.
      If routed south of Suursaari, the pipeline would go right through an Ingrian Nature Park planned for the south side of Suursaari. In addition, there are also more birds and ringed seals on the southern route.
      The stand of the gas pipeline company appears from Russia’s reply to Finland. In the summer, Finland asked Russia for a supplementary report on the environmental impact of the planned undersea pipeline.
     
According to the report, another reason for the northern route is that it is some 14 to 15 kilometres shorter, which means that the potential damage caused by the construction of the pipeline would be smaller. In addition, shipping on the northern route is less frequent than that on the southern side of Suursaari.
      The specifications given regarding the environmental assessment continue to assume that the harmful effects would be insignificant and of short duration.
     
According to Nord Stream, the construction of the pipeline would avoid explosions that could stir sediment and at the same time kick up pollutants resting on the sea bottom.
      Instead, there is a plan to lay gravel on the sea bed in order to fill potential holes on the route.
      The northern route would pass Suursaari right alongside the National Park of the Eastern Gulf of Finland. The writers of the supplementary report assert that the marine environment of the park will not be endangered.
     
The Finnish authorities had also asked for additional information relating to the items of sunken war materiel on the route of the pipeline.
      The distance between the nearest mine to be destroyed and the Natura environmental protection area is 6.8 kilometres, while the future Natura areas Länsiletto and Luodematalat are only 4.9 and 4.5 kilometres away from the ammunition to be destroyed.
      The Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet is responsible for the destruction of the mines in Russia’s territorial waters.
      On Friday, the Ministry of the Environment did not yet wish to estimate the adequacy of the received information, as the deadline for statements and opinions on the matter is October 12th.
     
On Friday, Nord Stream was granted permission by the Western Finland Environmental Permit Authority to destroy the items of sunken war materiel at the bottom of the sea on the part of the route of the pipeline that goes through the Finnish economic zone.
      The mine clearance job is to be done by a British company specialised in removing and destroying war materiel. It is possible that the clearing operations could start already this month.
     
Nord Stream is not calling for any permanent restrictions for fishing in the area surrounding the planned natural gas pipeline.
      The company estimates that trawling is not likely to have any appreciable impact on the pipeline.
      The routing of the pipeline will cut through the Finnish economic zone for a distance of 375 kilometres.
     
For the actual construction of the pipeline to begin, the Finnish government must grant its permission, under the law on economic zones.
      After that, the Western Finland Environmental Permit Authority will make its decision on whether or not the environmental impact of the project is such that it can be given permission under water legislation.
      The decision, which is expected in December, is decisive for the entire project.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Nord Stream given permission to destroy sunken war materiel along Baltic gas pipeline route (2.10.2009)
  Putin meets Vanhanen, urges Finland to speed up pipeline process (2.9.2009)
  Mines, wrecks, fishing areas and seal habitats along pipeline route (16.3.2009)
  Assessment: limited impact of gas pipeline on Baltic Sea (10.3.2009)

Links:
  Nord Stream (Wikipedia)