HELSINKI, Finland, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The consortium for the Nord Stream gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea needs to add an environmental assessment to the plans, Finnish officials said.
Seija Rantakallio with the Finnish Environmental Ministry said Nord Stream AG, the consortium overseeing development of the project, should add its environmental impact statement to those already published for the assessment to be considered complete, Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported.
Nord Stream AG consists of Russian monopoly Gazprom, Germany's Wintershall and E.ON, as well as Dutch Nederlandse Gasunie.
The proposed Nord Stream pipeline would transit natural gas from Russia through the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea and on to European customers via Germany.
Littoral states Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Germany refused draft environmental assessments on the project and called for supplements to the reports.
The issue would go before a public referendum if the assessment is approved. A local effort in St. Petersburg, Russia, recently raised environmental concerns, however.
Baltic states will weigh in on environmental assessments again Feb. 13.
