MOSCOW, July 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's No. 1 oil transporter Transneft will prepare a report on possible negative environmental, social and economic consequences of its Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean Pipeline following a request from the Ministry of Industry and Energy. These consequences will be considered at public hearings in affected regions after a feasibility study for the pipeline is completed this August. The ministry's press service said the company was instructed to prepare a report after a session of the working group that coordinates, monitors and controls the design and construction of the Eastern pipeline, chaired by Deputy Minister Andrei Reus.
Participants discussed the environmental impact of the project in particular detail. According to Reus, the feasibility study should meet all environmental requirements, including environmental restoration, rational use and reproduction of natural resources, and environmental safety.
The $13 billion pipeline, to run from the Irkutsk Region town of Taishet to Perevoznaya Bay on the Pacific will allow Russia to increase exports of raw materials to the rapidly developing Asian region. South Korea and Japan have shown most interest in the project, including in investment terms. The pipeline's capacity will be 80 million tons of oil, and the timeframe of the project is 5-7 years. The first section of the pipeline (from Taishet to Skovorodino in the Amursk Region), with a total capacity of up to 30 million metric tons, is due to be commissioned in the second half of 2008.
