Serbia starts early work for South Stream

• Tweet

MOSCOW, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- An engineering survey for part of the South Stream natural gas pipeline has started in Serbian territory, Russian energy company Gazprom announced.

Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller met with Dusan Bajatovic, director general of Serbia's state-owned natural gas provider Srbijagas, in Moscow to discuss implementation of the South Stream natural gas pipeline.

Gazprom said an engineering survey had started in Serbia through a joint venture between Srbijagas and Russian engineering company Giprospetsgaz.

"Besides, the necessary basic data and materials were submitted to the spatial planning agency for the spatial planning development," the Russian company said.

South Stream is a pipeline planned through southern Europe meant to add diversity to Gazprom's natural gas export options. The pipeline is designed to carry about 2.2 trillion cubic feet of gas per year when it goes into service by 2015.

Last year, Gazprom supplied Serbia with about 49 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Gazprom officials and Bulgarian officials this week signed documents related to the entry point of South Stream into the Bulgarian gas transit system and related issues.