Troubled waters

Nord Stream, the planned gas pipeline that will link the super giant Russian gas fields of Siberia directly with Europe, looks set to offer an important solution to the EU's energy security concerns. But even before under-sea construction has begun, the project is causing controversy. Roderick Bruce investigates

Europe's increasing reliance on Russia for its future energy supplies means there is a lot riding on the Nord Stream pipeline venture. This €5 billion, 1200km offshore pipeline will run under the Baltic Sea from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany. Scheduled to come online in 2010, by 2012 it will carry 55 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year from Russia's giant Yuzhno-Russkoye field into Europe. This is equivalent to around 11% of the European Union's (EU's) total gas consumption of