Pipeliners

Mar 30, 2009 BELGRADE, (Tanjug). Deputy Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Russian energy company Gazprom and Director-General of Gazexport Alexander Medvedev has said that the route of the South Stream gas pipeline through Serbia is a priority for Russia and Gazprom and that a route through Romania is not being considered as an alternative. Medvedev expects technical preparations for the project to be completed by the end of this year for all involved countries, and said that research has been requested for the section from Russia to Europe, to be followed by steps concerning the transit of gas to consumers. South Stream will be completed by the end of 2015 and pipeline capacity will be increased from 30 to 47 billion cubic meters, he said in an interview to Novosti daily.