Change to German pipeline plans

5th March 2010

© PD Swinoujscie harbour Share:

Germany has agreed to change the path of the Nordstream gas pipeline following complaints from Poland that it will create a hazard for ships entering the harbours of Szczecin and Swinoujscie.

The German government reportedly sent a letter to the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure informing it that a 20-kilometre segment of the pipeline would be moved north to deeper waters and buried 20 meters beneath the seabed.

Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski confirmed the news, noting that this was in line with the Polish government's requests. "This is what we asked for. It shows that good relations with Germany can bring results," he told reporters.

"I'm glad that the German government took into consideration our demand that the pipeline not block now or in the future access to Swinoujscie," he said.

Port authorities for both cities had protested the decision earlier of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency in Hamburg to allow the pipeline to be laid close to shipping lanes into Poland without being buried.

The Nordstream pipeline will carry liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia to Germany through the Baltic, allowing transit routes to bypass Poland, where they currently run. The pipeline has faced environmental challenges from Scandinavian countries and criticism from Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states, which see it as a threat to their energy security.

The project appears to be back on track now. Prime minister Vladimir Putin said in February that the pipeline should be laid by mid-2011 and that gas should be flowing through it before the end of next year. The project is a EUR 7.5 bln joint venture between Gazprom, which owns a majority share, and three German energy companies.