The Nord Steam
1) Have you heard about the Nord Steam? What exactly? 2) What other pipelines can you name? What is the difference between them and the Nord Steam? Is it the first pipeline which allows Russian gas flow directly to Europe? 3) Why is it important to import gas to Europe excluding transit countries (like Ukraine)? 4) Some critics say that this pipeline by increasing dependence on Russian gas will weaken Europe. Do you agree? In the 2012 World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) sees natural gas becoming the most important fuel in the EU energy mix by 2025, surpassing oil. Currently making up one quarter of the EU’s primary energy consumption, natural gas accounts for a significant proportion of energy consumption within the region. By 2035, the share of natural gas in the primary energy mix is expected to rise from 26 percent to 30 percent. The share of natural gas will grow in lieu of other, less environmentally friendly, fossil fuels. However, the EU would face a shortage of gas of some 200 bcm per year by 2035 if it does not increase imports. This is partly because gas production in the EU is declining, as reserves in the North Sea are being depleted, and partly because EU policies are expected to boost gas: not only does gas produce much lower CO2 emissions than other fossil fuels but it will also play a key role in complementing the much-favored but intermittent renewable energy sources. It is expected that Nord Stream’s pipelines will help to meet a large part of a projected gas shortfall. The Nord Stream twin pipeline system through the Baltic Sea runs from Vyborg, Russia to Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany. The pipelines were built and are operated by Nord Stream AG. The Nord Stream route crosses the Exclusive Economic Zones of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, as well as the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany. The two 1,224-kilometre offshore pipelines are the most direct connection between the vast gas reserves in Russia and energy markets in the European Union. Combined, the twin pipelines have the capacity to transport a combined total of 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year to businesses and households in the EU for at least 50 years. As the project strengthens the EU energy market and reinforces security of supply, the project has been designated as being of "European interest" by the European Parliament and Council. Construction of Line 1 of the twin pipeline system began in April 2010, and was completed in June 2011. Transportation of gas through Line 1 began in mid November 2011. Construction of Line 2, which runs parallel to Line 1, began in May 2011 and it was completed in April 2012. Gas transport through the second line began in October 2012. Each line has a transport capacity of roughly 27.5 bcm of natural gas per annum. One of the gas sources for the Nord Stream Pipeline is the Yuzhno-Russkoye field. The Yuzhno-Russkoye gas condensate field, located in the Krasnoselkupsky region of the Yamal-Nenets in Western Siberia, Russia, covers about 1,100 square kilometers of gas productive area and is the biggest natural gas field developed in Russia to date. Proven recoverable gas reserves of more than 600 billion cubic meters of natural gas make Yuzhno-Russkoye a reliable provider for Europe's gas supply. The gas field is developed by Severneftegazprom, a joint venture project between Gazprom, E.ON Ruhrgas and Wintershall. A 917-kilometre onshore pipeline in Russian territory is being built by Gazprom to connect Nord Stream to the Russian gas transmission system. Two onshore connections from Greifswald to the south and west of Germany, with a total length of more than 900 kilometers, built by W&G and E.ON Ruhrgas, connect the pipeline with the European gas transmission system. Nord Stream delivers gas to the receiving terminal in Lubmin, Germany, where it is transported onwards to Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the UK, and other countries. Nord Stream meets the highest international environmental standards in implementing the pipeline project and observes national and international environmental, maritime and legal requirements during construction, testing and operation of the pipeline. Before construction there were concerns that during construction the sea bed would be disturbed, dislodging World War II-era naval mines and toxic materials including mines, chemical waste, chemical munitions and other items dumped in the Baltic Sea in the past decades, and thereby toxic substances could surface from the seabed damaging the Baltic's particularly sensitive ecosystem. In November 2008 it was reported that the pipeline will run through old sea mine defense lines and that the Gulf of Finland is considered one of the most heavily mined sea areas in the world. Sunken mines, which have been found on the pipeline route, lay primarily in international waters at a depth of more than 70 meters (230 ft). Nord Stream AG detonated the mines underwater. Besides Nord Stream conducted the most comprehensive environmental studies of the Baltic Sea to date, investing more than 100 million euros on detailed environmental studies and project planning to assess and subsequently minimize environmental impact. More than 40,000 kilometers of geophysical surveys were conducted, with thousands of objects on the seabed inspected. In order to safeguard the environment during and after construction, Nord Stream also developed Environmental and Social Monitoring Programs (ESMPs), which run through 2016. The data gathered provide important information to future research projects studying the Baltic Sea environment. Nord Stream is committed, through national and international agreements, to carrying out all work safely and in an environmentally responsible manner. In order to obtain the permits necessary to begin construction of the twin pipeline system, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was carried out for each country through whose waters the pipelines cross: Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. In the EIAs, Nord Stream stated that the construction and operation of the pipelines will have only minor impacts on the environment, and ESMPs are in place to determine just how, and if, the Baltic Sea's flora and fauna have been impacted in any way by the construction. http://www.nord-stream.com/pipeline/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Северный_поток
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