Offshore staff
MOSCOW – Gazprom’s management committee has pledged to speed up the launch of the South Stream pipeline project taking Russian gas to southeast Europe.
This follows intervention by Vladimir Putin, prime minister of the Russian Federation.
The committee has approved a detailed action plan that would allow construction of the gas line to start this December 2012, rather than next year as was planned.
Gazprom’s Alexey Miller said: “We have everything in place to significantly expedite the previously announced date of the South Stream construction launch. We have a regulatory basis, great interest of the project participants in Europe, the required funds, and the unique track record of delivering large-scale gas transmission projects offshore.”
South Stream will run under the Black Sea, and then follow an overland route to central Europe.
Intergovernmental agreements have been signed with Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, and Austria to implement the onshore section, and last September 2011, the South Stream Transport shareholders signed the agreement for the offshore section.
Gazprom is the major stakeholder with a 50% interest in the project. Eni has 20%, andWintershall and EDF 15% each.
01/23/2012
