environmental impact assessment of the nord stream project

10th Meeting of the EIA Working Group (UNECE, Geneva, 21-23 May 2007)

Nikolay Grishin, Ph.D.,Senior Expert on the UNECE Conventions, Legislation and Permitting

Environmental Impact Assessment of the Nord Stream Project within the Framework of the Espoo Convention

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EU CONFIRMED HIGH IMPORTANCE OF THE PROJECT

• The European Union declared the project to be part of the Trans-European Network Energy Guidelines (‘TEN-E’) in 2000.

• The status re-confirmed by the latest revision in mid 2006.• This means that Nord Stream

• is a priority energy project of European interest, and • is in line with the EU’s overall energy policy

objectives: sustainability, competitiveness and security of supply

• to be supported by EU-member states.• The EU Council of March 2006 called for adoption of a Priority

Interconnection Plan, as part of the Strategic European Energy Review. The EU Council of June 2006 asked to give full support to external energy infrastructure aimed at enhancing security of supplies.

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ROUTE SELECTION AND PREPARATION

Route selected after integrated evaluation of technical, environmental and economic aspect.

Integrated feasibility study of alternative routes in 1997- 1999.

The proposed route was assessed as the most feasible.

Nord Stream strives to avoid ammunition dump sites and protected areas.

Further optimisation in order to minimise environmental impacts.

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Feasibility Study

Conceptual Design

Detailed Design

Laying Line 1

Commiss-ioningLine 1

Commiss-ioningLine 2

Laying Line 2

2010 20122009-20102005-20061997-1999 2006-2008 2011-2012

EIA & Approvals

2006-2007

TIMEFRAME MEETS EU’S NEEDS FOR GAS

Main stages of the project

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MAIN STAGES OF THE TRANSBOUNDARY EIA ACCORDING TO THE ESPOO CONVENTION (UNECE Environmental Series № 8)

1) Notification (Art. 3.1, 3.2);2) Confirmation of participation to the application of the Convention (Art. 3.3);3) Transmittal of the information (Art. 3.5, 3.6);4) Preparation of EIA documentation (Art. 4 / App. II) – Current stage

for the Nord Stream project’s Espoo procedure (May, 2007);5) Distribution of the EIA documentation for the participation of authorities and

public of the affected Party (Art. 4.2);6) Consultation between Parties (Art. 5);7) Final decision (Art. 6.1);8) Transmittal of final decision documentation (Art. 6.2);9) Post-project analysis (Art. 7.1, App. V + Art. 7.2).

1 3 4 5 6 72 8 9

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INFORMING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT BEFORE START OF THE ESPOO PROCEDURE

2005 UNECE Seminar on Cooperation on the EIA Convention in the Baltic Sea Subregion(Stockholm, 20-21 October)

2005 The HELCOM 18th meeting of Heads of Delegation (Helsinki, 12-13 December)

2006 International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day”(St. Petersburg, 22 – 23 March 2006)

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START OF THE ESPOO PROCEDURE: CONSULTATION OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION, FINLAND, SWEDEN, DENMARK AND GERMANY

2006, 19 April - Hamburg, Germany

2006, 9 May - Hamburg, Germany

2006, 28–29 August - St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

2006, 17 October - Hamburg, Germany

2006, 7 November - Copenhagen, Denmark

Participants from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland took part in some of these meetings

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RESULTS OF THE FIRST CONSULTATIONS REGARDING ESPOO PROCEDURE OF THE NORD STREAM PROJECT

The project can be found as item 8 (large-diameter oil and gas pipelines) on the list of activities in Appendix I to the Espoo Convention, that are likely to cause a significant adverse transboundary impact.

An environmental impact assessment procedure according to the Convention thus has to be performed for the Nord Stream project.

Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland regard themselves as Parties of origin under the Espoo Convention.

Russian Federation is a signatory but not a Party to the Espoo Convention. However, Russian Federation will act as a Party of origin as far as it considers it possible according to its legislation.

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RESULTS OF THE FIRST CONSULTATIONS REGARDING ESPOO PROCEDURE OF THE NORD STREAM PROJECT (2)

All nine Baltic Sea States, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are regarded as affected Parties under the Espoo Convention.

The four Parties of Origin and Russian Federation have agreed, to send out identical notification letters to each affected Party.

The additional information to this notification will be enclosed on a CD-Rom.

A paper version of the documents will be sent out by Germany on behalf of the other Parties of origin and Russian Federation.

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INFORMATION ABOUT NOTIFICATION REGARDING THE NORD STREAM PROJECT

The four Parties of Origin and Russian Federation sent identical notification letters to each affected Party on 14 November 2006. A paper version of the documents was sent out by Germany on behalf of the other Parties of origin and Russian Federation.

The additional information to this notification will be enclosed on a CD-Rom, included report about environmental aspects of the project (more than 100 pages) translated by company Nord Stream AG on languages of all nine Baltic Sea States and on English language.

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INFORMATION ABOUT NOTIFICATION REGARDING THE NORD STREAM PROJECT (2)

Referring to Article 3.3 of the Espoo Convention, Parties of origin and Russian Federation kindly asked the addressed Parties to respond until 16 February 2007 at the latest and

- acknowledge the receipt of the notification;

- indicate, whether your country intends to participate in the EIA procedure;

- provide comments concerning the scope for the assessment of theenvironmental impacts of the project on your EEZ and territory;

- submit any comments you might receive from the public in yourcountry.

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MAIN RESULTS OF THE OF THE NOTIFICATION STAGE

All nine Baltic Sea States took part in the first stage of the Espoo procedure of the Nord Stream project.

More than 140 responses were received from official bodies and stakeholders of all nine Baltic Sea States, including public.

These responses were discussed by the representatives of the official bodies of the Espoo Convention of the Parties of origin, the Russian Federation and Nord Stream AG (20-21 March 2007, Stockholm) and will be taken into account during further research and EIA document preparation.

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INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE ESPOO PROCEDURE OF THE NORD STREAM PROJECT (1)

Extracts from Resolution of the Round Table “Nord Stream project: EIA within the framework of the Espoo Convention”(VIII International Environmental Forum “Baltic Sea Day”, St. Petersburg, 21 – 23 March, 2007):

SUPPORT joint decision of Nord Steam AG and official bodies of Denmark,Finland, Germany, Russian Federation and Sweden made upon the consulting meetings in Germany (19 April, 9 May and 17 October 2006), Russia (28-29 August 2006) and Denmark (7 November 2006) concerning the international EIA procedure within the framework of the Espoo Convention.

WELCOME the decision made by the Russian Federation that is not a Party to the Espoo Convention to make such assessment acting in the spirit of good neighbourhood and cooperation.

APPROVE broad public involvement in Nord Stream EIA procedure that is based on the UNECE “Guidelines on public participation in environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context” (approved by the Third Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention, Сavtat, Croatia, 1-4 June 2004).

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TO MAINTAIN further the constructive actions of the official bodies of Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Russian Federation and Sweden as well as those of Nord Stream AG for making international EIA for the project within the framework of the Espoo Convention including broad public and other stakeholders involvement.

TO INFORM international public about Nord Stream EIA within the framework of various international forums and meetings, including meetings of the UNECE Working Group on EIA on 21-23 May and 21-23 November 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland and meetings of the Parties to the Espoo Convention on 19-21 May 2008 in Bucharest, Romania, meetings of the Heads of Delegations and Ministerial Meetings of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) including of HELCOM Ministerial Meeting on 15 November 2007 in Krakow, Poland.

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TO PUBLISH the results of Nord Stream international EIA within the framework of the Espoo Convention in easily accessible as well as in special mass media, to send them to the governments, parliaments, concerned authorities, research and educational organizations, public and scientific libraries and public organisations of the Baltic Sea region countries, as well as to post them in the Internet and to facilitate the implementation of other projects that provide for the information and participation of general public in EIA within the framework of the Espoo Convention.

TO PROVIDE an opportunity to study the EIA materials made within the framework of the Espoo Convention regarding planned construction of Nord Stream gas pipeline to all interested parties, including public and those who sent their comments and proposals when the Notification within the framework of the Espoo Convention was discussed.

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TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT the responses from the official bodies and stakeholders, including public, that have been received in reply to the Nord Stream project Notification within the framework of the Espoo Convention and during the discussion at the Round Table, in future research and preparation of EIA materials, in particular, the programme of future EIA should include the research into:

• Reasonable alternatives (for example, of locational or technological characteristics) to proposed activity and also theno-action alternative;

• The consequences of the disturbance of the sea bottom;• Possible impacts of the dumped WWII chemical and other

weapons, as well as of the hazardous substances of technogenicorigin;

• Affects upon commercial fishery;• Conditions for gas pipeline intersections with the coast; • Risks.

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TO DRAW ATTENTION to the fact that the inter-governmental agreements on the construction of Nord Stream gas pipeline on the Baltic Sea bottom where WWII chemical munitions were dumped gives the reason for once again considering the impacts of those munitions upon the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

The Round table participants apply to the Governments of the Great Britain and USA with the request to give access to the information about the chemical munitions dumped by those countries and recommend HELCOM to consider that problem again with account of the current situation.

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TO PROVIDE an opportunity to study the EIA materials made within the framework of the Espoo Convention regarding planned construction of Nord Stream gas pipeline to all interested parties, including public and those who sent their comments and proposals when the Notification within the framework of the Espoo Convention was discussed.

TO PROVIDE an opportunity to all interested parties, including public, to submit their comments to the official bodies of the Parties of origin and the Russian Federation regarding the draft EIA materials for the designed Nord Stream gas pipelines.

TO MAKE A PROVISION that in the final decision on the proposed activity (the construction of Nord Stream gas pipeline) due account is taken of the outcome of the EIA, including the EIA, as well as the comments thereon received.

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CONTACTS

Nord Stream AGGrafenauweg 26304 Zug / SwitzerlandPhone: +41 (0) 41 766 91 91www.nord-stream.com

Irina VasilyevaCommunications ManagerMobile: +7 916 133 87 81 [email protected]

Jens D. MüllerCommunications ManagerMobile: +41 (0) 79 295 96 [email protected]

Matthias WarnigManaging Director [email protected]

Dirk von AmelnPermitting [email protected]

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Nord Stream AG

Head Office:Grafenauweg 2Zug 6300, SwitzerlandTel.: +41 (41) 766 61 70Fax: +41 (41) 766 61 81www.nord-stream.com

Moscow Branch:Znamenka 7 bld. 3 Moscow 101029, RussiaTel.: +7 (495) 719 81 71Fax: +7 (495) 719 81 69www.nord-stream.ru

environmental impact assessment of the nord stream project

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