Finland considers Nord Stream

HELSINKI, Finland, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The Nord Stream natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea may not be a security risk to Nordic countries, though environmental concerns remain, officials say.

Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen told Finnish public radio the Nord Stream gas pipeline did not pose a security risk, noting energy cooperation with Russia would actually bring stability.

Nord Stream would travel along a dual route through the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea to Germany. It is among the many options meant to ease the burden on Ukraine, which hosts the majority of all Russian export gas to Europe.

Vanhanen said his country might give the necessary permits for Russia to build Nord Stream in its territorial waters as early as September, reports the Helsinki Times.

Several littoral states in the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea had expressed concern over the environmental impact of pipeline construction, which is complicated by World War II munitions strewn along the sea floor.

However, Paula Lehtomaki, the Finnish environment minister, said the environmental impact appeared "manageable."

European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs described the network as a "priority" in 2006, though political concerns and diplomatic disputes have focused European energy efforts elsewhere.