Nord Stream Completes Additional Route Investigations at Request of the Baltic Sea Countries
Intensive dialogue during 11th meeting of international working group to ensure environmental safety of natural gas pipeline
May 30, 2008 | Moscow | The two-day meeting of the international Espoo working group, which brings together representatives from various ministries and authorities of all the Baltic Sea countries, ended today in Moscow. Nord Stream provided a detailed update on the project’s progress and key outcomes of the comprehensive environmental studies, along with a substantial part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report that is being prepared in line with international law (Espoo Convention). This includes updated and expanded description of the project and methodology used for environmental assessment. The remaining part of the EIA report is to be finalised based on the outcomes of the ongoing route optimisation.
Nord Stream presented its activities aimed at fine-tuning the pipeline route, which were launched after recent requests by Danish and Finnish authorities. The optimisation pertains to limited areas in the Danish territorial waters near the island of Bornholm (based on a letter from Danish authorities received in January 2008). Finnish authorities also called for fine-tuning in the Finnish exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Gulf of Finland, and in the Russian EEZ near the island of Gogland. Key factors for the route optimisation are minimising risks and environmental impact. Each route variation requires additional seabed survey activities, detailed technical engineering, and environmental assessments. Additional seabed surveys were started this year after obtaining the necessary survey permits and waiting for favourable weather conditions. Route optimisation will be finalised based on the results of these survey works.
In order to have an interim consultation on essential issues of the EIA work, experts and representatives from authorities from all the Baltic Sea countries will have a meeting in Hamburg in September. The comprehensive final draft of the transboundary EIA report comprising all comments received during international consultations will be ready in October 2008 and submitted for discussion by the authorities.
Following thorough analyses of the outcomes of the international consultations with authorities and the public of the Baltic Sea states on issues related to the environment, Nord Stream is preparing a comprehensive White Book. The document is being conceived to include all comments and questions dealing with the environmental assessment of the project. It will provide answers and comments on how specific issues will be treated in the assessment. Roughly 190 comments have been received from national authorities and non-governmental organisations. The comments raised a total of roughly 1,400 questions, which are being clustered systematically into 90 topics.
The White Book will be published on the Nord Stream website upon completion, in accordance with the company’s policy of transparency, its conscious approach to all comments from around the Baltic Sea, as well as its goal of continuously keeping the public abreast of project developments.
Dirk von Ameln, Permitting Director at Nord Stream said: “Nord Stream is conducting the most comprehensive transboundary environmental assessment ever, involving nine countries and millions of stakeholders. It will set new standards for infrastructure projects in the years to come. Nord Stream is committed to investing the necessary time and resources into surveys and engineering to ensure environmental safety.” The EIA report will be open to public scrutiny in ten languages.
