ZUG, Switzerland, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The consortium managing the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline announced Tuesday it started moving preliminary gas through the first leg to Germany.
The Switzerland-based consortium, led by Russian energy company Gazprom, said it started the four-week process of filling the first leg of Nord Stream with so-called buffer gas.
"Before the operation can start in October, the pipeline needs to be filled up with gas to a certain level," the consortium said in a statement. "This will be the final step in commissioning of the first line, which means that Nord Stream Line 1 is ready to start transporting gas to Europe."
Engineers working on Nord Stream connected the first leg of the twin pipeline to Russian and German networks in August.
Nord Stream is part of Moscow's efforts to add diversity to its European gas transit options. Political rows with Ukraine, which hosts a significant portion of European gas deliveries for Europe, make traditional routes risky.
Most of the gas for Nord Stream will come from Russia's Yuzhno-Russkoye field, one of the world's largest. The second line of the pipeline, running through the Baltic Sea to Germany, is set for completion next year.
