Pipeline Project in Baltic Sea Nears Green Light

German authorities have granted approval for a stretch of pipeline that could ultimately lead to the construction of a 760-mile pipeline to run from Russia to Germany.

According to Industrial Info Resources (IIR), Sugar Land, Texas, approval was granted in late December 2009 for a 19-mile (31-kilometer) stretch of the Baltic Sea natural gas pipeline that runs through Germany offshore territory.

The Nord Stream project, also known as the Russo-German gas pipeline or the Baltic Sea gas pipeline, is a planned natural gas offshore pipeline running from Vyborg, Russia, to Greifswald, Germany. It is being developed by the Swiss company Nord Stream AG.

The length of the undersea pipeline will be 760 miles (1,222 kilometers), with the path taking it through the territorial waters of several nations: 75 miles (121 km) in Russia; 233 miles (375 km) in Finland; 310 miles (506 km) in Sweden; 84 miles (136 km) in Denmark; and the 19 miles (31 km) in Germany.

Energy companies backing the project include Russia’s Gazprom OAO; German energy companies E.ON Ruhrgas AG and Wintershall AG; and Dutch company Nederlandse Gasunie NV.

According to the IIR report, the only permit pending for the project now is from Finland. The current schedule calls for the pipeline to begin operating as soon as 2011.

Natural gas pipelines are commonly made of electric-welded carbon steel with walls that are more than 1 inch (25 millimeters) thick.