Pipeliners

05 February 2008 - Upstream OnLine - Poland, Estonia and Lithuania are keen to consider an overland gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany instead of Nord Stream's plan to build one under the Baltic Sea, Finland's environment ministry said. Finland itself has insisted the Nord Stream consortium, planning the 1200 kilometre subsea gas pipeline, should carry out a thorough environmental study of a southern route, not across Finnish territory. Nord Stream, majority owned by Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, plans to start building the pipe in the middle of next year and begin deliveries in early 2011. German firms BASF and E.ON own 20% each and Dutch Gasunie has 9% in Nord Stream. Finland said Poland had noted it would also be important to plan how to respond to any emergencies relating to the pipeline. Lithuania called for more investigation on the impact of waste and old munitions on the sea bed as well as the security threat for the Baltic Sea area caused by the pipeline.