Work on gas pipeline to begin in Gulf of Finland in June

First sections of pipe to be placed in Swedish waters in April

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Construction of the undersea part of the gas pipeline extending from near Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany is to begin in April in Swedish waters.
      Laying the pipe is to begin separately in different locations. In June the first sections of pipe will be placed in the Gulf of Finland. Before that, rock will be sunk along the route to provide a stable base on the sea bottom.
      On Friday, Nord Stream, the company behind the project, got the go-ahead from Finnish authorities for work in the Finnish economic zone in the Gulf of Finland.
     
One factor affecting the schedule is the stipulation that the work must not disturb the nesting of birds or the spawning of fish. Two or three vessels will be involved in laying the pipe, and the first gas deliveries from Russia to Germany are expected to begin next year. A second pipe, running parallel to the first, is to be ready in 2012.
      The clearing of mines and other potentially dangerous wartime relics from the sea bottom along the route of the pipeline began last year, but the work was suspended in January, to resume when the winter ice clears away. The work is slower than ordinary mine clearance. It requires fairly calm conditions at sea and daylight. Furthermore, seals need to be chased away from the area so that the possible explosions will not hurt them.
      At the Russian end, the undersea pipeline is to be linked with the Gazprom pipeline above the ground in Portovaja in Russian Karelia. The gas will not originate at any particular gas field, as it will come from Russia’s extensive network of gas pipelines.
     
The decision by the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland to endorse the pipeline was preceded by a lengthy process in which Nord Stream gave further details of its application. Mika Seppälä, one of the members of the environmental panel which gave the go-ahead, said that a significant factor is that in part of the Gulf of Finland, the vessel that will be used in laying the pipeline can be stabilised without anchors, thereby reducing interference with the bottom sediment.
      The decision sharply reduced the amount of war materiel that needs to be cleared away from the route.
     
The clearing of the sunken explosives, the piling of the stone base, and the laying of the pipe will cause some of the sediment on the bottom to release harmful substances, including dioxin, heavy metals, and nutrients. Consideration of the impact was one of the more difficult parts of the licencing process.
     According to the assessment, the construction will not cause long-term damage to the sea. The Regional State Administrative Agency notes that the nutrients and environmental toxins will continue to affect the Gulf of Finland for between five and ten years, once normal conditions are restored.
     
Nord Stream was also given instructions on protecting shipwrecks that are considered historically valuable.
      To offset damage caused to fishing, Nord Stream is being asked to pay a fisheries maintenance fee of EUR 30,000 a year. The company has already reached an agreement on cash compensation for professional fishermen.
     
Friday’s decision allows Nord Stream to start work immediately on the project, even though it is possible to appeal the decision to Vaasa Administrative court, and from there to the Supreme Administrative Court.
     In case the permit is rescinded on appeal, the Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland ordered Nord Stream to leave a deposit of EUR 70 million, which would be used to restore the sea bottom to its original state.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish environment officials give go-ahead for undersea gas pipeline (12.2.2010)
  Licencing authority calls schedule for gas pipeline licence process “challenging” (1.9.2009)
  Environmental impact of Baltic Sea pipeline greatest in building phase (15.11.2006)
  Finnish government to give go-ahead for Baltic Sea gas pipeline (5.11.2009)
  Nord Stream given permission to destroy sunken war materiel along Baltic gas pipeline route (2.10.2009)

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