Gazprom Going Forward with Plans for Baltic Pipeline

Gazprom has said it is going forward with plans to build a natural gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea to supply northern European markets. "The management has decided to launch the North European Gas Pipeline project... to supply gas to the (Russian) enclave of Kaliningrad, Finland, Sweden and Denmark, and it is considering gas deliveries to Britain," a company spokesman said.

"The construction of the North European Gas Pipeline will allow the link-up of the Russian gas transport system to the European gas network." Gazprom is aiming for deliveries to begin in 2007 and build to peak by 2009. Gas for the new export line would initially come from fields in the Nadym-Pur-Tazovskoye region of West Siberia where Gazprom is already producing gas. At a later stage, deposits on and offshore West Siberia's Yamal pensinsular and the Shtokman field in the Barents Sea would be tied into the line.