Finland completes EIA for its section of Nord Stream 2 pipeline

Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, has completed the environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure for the section of the pipeline in Finland.

The company said that the procedure was completed on Thursday after the coordinating authority, Uusimaa ELY Centre, responsible for the national procedure in Finland, issued its statement on the EIA for theFinnish section of the planned Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines through the Baltic Sea.

Nord Stream 2 AG’s Tore Granskog, permitting manager for Finland, said: “We are pleased that the coordinating authority acknowledges the EIA report to be sufficient and have declared the EIA procedure completed.

“We will now evaluate the statement in detail and provide the additional required information as we move on to the permitting phase in Finland. We are dedicated to constructing the pipeline in a way that is as safe and environmentally friendly as possible.”

According to the Finnish legislation, the aim of the EIA procedure is to assess the environmental impacts of the project, to ensure that there is consistent information available for the planning and decision making phase, to provide information for the general public and to provide an opportunity to participate in the process. The coordinating authority’s statement will be taken into account in the Finnish permitting procedure.

The company said that the part of the 1,200 kilometers route of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was planned to run through the Gulf of Finland in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Two permits are required for construction of the pipeline in the Finnish EEZ, namely, the Government’s consent to use the Finnish EEZ and a permit for the construction and operation of the pipeline.

Nord Stream 2 AG added that it planned to submit the permit applications in September 2017 and estimates to receive the respective decisions during the first quarter of 2018. According to the company’s statement, the project is progressing according to schedule.