Nord Stream 2 receives full set of permits in Finland
RELEASE
Nord Stream 2 AG
Baarerstrasse 52
6300 Zug
Switzerland
Moscow Branch
7/3 Znamenka St.,
119019 Moscow, Russia
+7 495 229-65-85
+7 495 229 65 80 fax
St. Petersburg Branch
14a Reshetnikova St.,
196105 St. Petersburg, Russia
+7 812 331-16-71
+7 812 331 16 70 fax
News from projects and regions
Nord Stream 2 AG today received the second permit required for the construction and operation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), thereby completing the permitting procedure in Finland. Today’s permit was granted by the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland in accordance with the Water Act. The first permit issued by the Finnish Government for the pipeline construction in the Finnish EEZ was received last week.
“This is an important day for our project: following a very thorough analysis and extensive engagement, the Finnish authorities have approved our detailed plans to construct and operate the 374-kilometer Finnish section of the 1,230-kilometer Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. We look forward to continuing the constructive cooperation and open dialogue with the Finnish authorities during the construction and subsequent operation phases of the project as they monitor the implementation of our plans,” said Tore Granskog, Permitting Manager Finland at Nord Stream 2 AG.
The Finnish permitting procedure was initiated in autumn 2017 after the environmental impact assessment (EIA) phase, which was a prerequisite for proceeding to the permitting phase. The EIA and statements received during the consultations were used as a basis for decision-making in permitting. Nord Stream 2’s Finnish EIA report was awarded a “Good EIA Award” by the Finnish Association for Impact Assessment in March 2018 and was credited for the inclusion of an extensive amount of information about the project’s implementation alternatives and their environmental impacts, among others. During the process, extensive consultations were carried out with various stakeholders.
All necessary permits needed for the project were also received in Germany. The national permitting procedures in the other three countries along the route – Russia, Sweden and Denmark – are proceeding as planned.
Background
Nord Stream 2 is an international project for the construction of a gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea. The pipeline will provide reliable supplies of Russian natural gas to European consumers via the best possible route. Nord Stream 2 will largely follow the route and technical concept of the successful Nord Stream pipeline. The new gas pipeline will have the capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which will be sufficient to provide 26 million households with heat and electricity every year. Natural gas supplies will help lower CO2 emissions across the European Union, as well as create a more balanced energy mix with gas substituting for coal in power generation and providing back-up for intermittent renewables such as wind and solar power.