Putin launched North Stream
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pressed the start button to open the North Stream pipeline carrying natural gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
He said the Nord Stream pipeline would reduce Russia’s dependence on Ukrainian pipelines, which were shut during gas disputes between Moscow and Kiev.
“Technical gas”, needed to build up pressure, was released at the Portovaya compressor station located near Vyborg last Tuesday. It is expected German consumers will begin receiving Russian gas through the new pipeline in a few weeks.
- Nord Stream has a special significance for meeting the growing gas demand of the European market. It will be the first direct link between the world’s largest natural gas reserves located in Russia and the European gas transmission system, said Gazprom head Alexey Miller according to Gazprom’s web site. - The commissioning of Nord Stream, the longest offshore gas trunkline worldwide, is a milestone in the global gas industry history, he added.
Most of the natural gas to be supplied by Gazprom via Nord Stream will come from the Yuzhno-Russkoye oil and gas field — one of the largest fields in the world. Later, the Nord Stream will also be supplied with additional gas from fields on the Yamal Peninsula, in Ob-Taz bay as well as the Shtokman field.
The Shtokman project includes the construction of a pipeline from the coast of the Barents Sea to Vyborg, from where the gas will be pipelined through the North Stream to Germany.
