Finland issues permission for construction of Nord Stream-2
The Regional Administrative Department of South Finland has issued permission for construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline in the exclusive economic zone of the country, Interfax reports.
Permission was issued for the laying of a new 374-kilometer pipeline in the exclusive economic zone, 20 meters from the previously laid Nord Stream 1 pipe.
Finland’s Ministry of Economy issued a permit for construction of the Nord Stream-2 on April 5.
Germany was the first country to issue a full package of documentation permitting the construction of the pipeline to the Nord Stream 2 AG company. Currently, the process is underway to obtain permission from the other countries along the pipeline’s route: Sweden, Russia and Denmark.
The Nord Stream-2 pipeline project envisages construction and commissioning of two gas lines, with an annual throughput capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas from a coastline of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany.
The Chairperson of Gazprom (Russian largest gas company) stated that after construction of the Nord Stream-2 and the Turkish Stream pipelines, gas transit through Ukraine would decrease by a factor of 10.
The Chairperson of Naftogaz (Ukrainian largest gas company), Andriy Kobolev, estimates Ukrainian losses of USD 3.5 billion per annum from the decrease in Russian gas transit.