Nord Stream 2 Advances to Permitting Phase in Finland
The Finnish environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedure for Nord Stream 2 was completed today after the coordinating authority, Uusimaa ELY Centre, responsible for the national procedure in Finland, provided its statement on the EIA report of the Finnish section of the planned Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines through the Baltic Sea.
“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,” says Nord Stream 2 AG’s Tore Granskog, permitting manager Finland.
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.
Part of the 1,200 kilometres route of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is 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: the Government’s Consent for the use of the Finnish EEZ and a permit for the construction and operation of the pipeline.
Nord Stream 2 AG plans to submit the permit applications in September 2017 and estimates to receive the respective decisions during the first quarter of 2018. The project is said to be progressing according to schedule.
