Pipeliners

04.11.2005 12:08 MSK MosNews - The Presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia called on Thursday for broader European Union involvement in the Baltic gas pipeline which they said posed a potentially catastrophic environmental threat to their region, the Reuters news agency reported. The three Baltic leaders, meeting in Estonia, told a news conference that the Russia-to-Germany pipeline would be built upon a seabed which had been littered with tons of dumped chemical weapons, Baltic news service BNS reported. Any mistakes made during construction could release the chemicals with drastic consequences, they said. "The construction of the gas supply pipeline is of vital importance to the countries of the region, however we must draw the attention of the EU and the Scandinavian countries to the potential threats such construction is posing," BNS quoted Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus as saying. Estonian President Arnold Ruutel said an extensive area in the south of the Baltic Sea was polluted with chemical weapons, BNS reported. "An extensive area in the south of the Baltic Sea is polluted with chemical weapons," he said. "Some of them were simply sunk together with the ships after the end of World War II. In this respect, most of the danger lies in the strip of some 1,200 km (750 miles) near the Swedish and the Lithuanian coast where the pipeline is to be constructed." Ruutel stressed that Brussels and the Baltic states must be closely involved in the construction. "The public must be given an opportunity to keep a close watch...there should be scientists involved," he said. "The project must have the participation of the Baltic and EU countries." In September, then German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder rejected criticism by the Polish president of the pipeline deal, worth over 4 billion euros ($4.82 billion), after he and Russian President Vladimir Putin gave their blessing to it. The pipeline, which will ship Siberian gas from Russia to Germany, bypassing Poland and the Baltic states, will be run by a joint venture of Russian state gas monopoly Gazprom, Germany utility E.ON and Wintershall, a unit of German chemical maker BASF. While the project cements Berlin's energy ties to Moscow, the Baltic states and Poland fear it leaves them vulnerable to the whims of the Kremlin, which could cut off their gas supply if it chose to.Lithuania's President Adamkus emphasized on Thursday that it was "important to secure our economic interests in this project."

THE HAGUE, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia welcomes new partners in the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline (NEG), but the decision depends on other participants in the project as well, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday."This project is much more ambitious than the simple construction of a pipeline across the Baltic Sea floor," he said. "It includes the construction of additional storage facilities in various European countries, including the Netherlands, and the construction of additional communication lines on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, possibly, linking the Netherlands and other countries, including the UK." "Russia has received proposals from Dutch partners and is going to study them thoroughly," the president added.The agreement on the NEG was signed September 8 by Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom and German energy companies BASF and E.ON Ruhrgas. The 1200km pipeline, which is expected to cost 4 million euros, will link Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea. Offshoots may then be built to link it with Russia's exclave in Europe, the Kaliningrad region, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the UK. Gazprom is expected to start the construction of the land segment in fall 2005 and the completion of the pipeline is scheduled for 2010.

THE HAGUE, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia welcomes new partners in the construction of the North European Gas Pipeline (NEG), but the decision depends on other participants in the project as well, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. "This project is much more ambitious than the simple construction of a pipeline across the Baltic Sea floor," he said. "It includes the construction of additional storage facilities in various European countries, including the Netherlands, and the construction of additional communication lines on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, possibly, linking the Netherlands and other countries, including the UK." "Russia has received proposals from Dutch partners and is going to study them thoroughly," the president added. The agreement on the NEG was signed September 8 by Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom and German energy companies BASF and E.ON Ruhrgas. The 1200km pipeline, which is expected to cost 4 million euros, will link Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea. Offshoots may then be built to link it with Russia's exclave in Europe, the Kaliningrad region, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the UK. Gazprom is expected to start the construction of the land segment in fall 2005 and the completion of the pipeline is scheduled for 2010.

THE HAGUE, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Netherlands is interested in the construction of a gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea, the Dutch prime minister said Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Jan Peter Balkenende said his country was interested in stable energy supplies. "Russia is a very important country in terms of energy. We know about progress at the negotiations on the gas pipeline construction and that Great Britain is participating in the project. We'll continue talks with Russia about our participation in the project," the Dutch Balkenende said.