Sweden confirms Baltic Sea pipeline

Sweden became the second nation to approve a Baltic Sea pipeline that would ship Russian natural gas to Germany, saying the project meets its demands to protect the marine environment, foreign media reports.

Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren — who last year expressed concerns about the project's impact on ecosystems in the Baltic Sea — said Swedish authorities were satisfied with additional information supplied by pipeline builder Nord Stream AG. He told reporters in Stockholm that saying no to the project would "contravene international law."

The $15 billion Nord Stream pipeline, which was approved by Denmark last month, also needs the approval from authorities in Finland, Russia and Germany. The latter two are expected to be formalities, since the project is backed by both governments.

Once completed, the 750-mile (1,200-kilometer) pipeline would carry 55 billion cubic meters of gas each year from the Russian port of Vyborg to the German port of Greifswald. Under current plans, Nord Stream goes through the territorial waters of Russia, Germany and Denmark and through international waters that are part of the exclusive economic zones of Finland and Sweden. A 300-mile (480-kilometer) stretch of the pipeline would pass through Sweden's economic zone. Construction is planned to start next year.

Russia's Gazprom holds a 51 percent stake in the project, while German energy companies E.ON Ruhrgas AG and Wintershall AG each hold 20 percent. Dutch company Nederlandse Gasunie NV holds the remaining 9 percent.