"Nord Stream 2 AG… has started the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure in Russia. The relevant project documents, including the terms of reference and the EIA program, were disclosed for public discussion and consultation as the first phase of the EIA procedure," the company said in a statement.
The company has so far identified the Narva Bay in the southern Gulf of Finland for the pipeline's entry point into the Baltic Sea as this is deemed to have the lowest environmental impact, according to the statement.
The study will now kick off in line with the draft documents presented to ensure compliance with Russian environmental regulations and thus obtain a construction permit from the Russian government. This will include hydrometeorological, geological, biological, social, economic and other impacts, as well as address the protection of any rare species and vulnerable habitats which will be encountered along the route of the pipeline.
Nord Stream 2 AG is fully owned by Russia's Gazprom energy giant. Engie, OMV, Shell, Uniper and Wintershall are Gazprom's partners in the project which aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas a year to the European Union across the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing Ukraine. The pipeline is planned to run alongside the existing Nord Stream route.
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