Gas from Siberia will flow to Europe

Russia plans to complete the construction of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline and reach its yearly production capacity of 33 billion cubic meters by the end of 2005. (Yamal is a peninsula in the polar region of Western Siberia). The news was announced by representative of the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom Boris Posyagin at a press conference on the results of the meeting of managing services of Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany in Brest.

This year, the supply of Russian gas through Yamal-Europe pipeline network reached 20.3 billion cubic meters. According to Mr. Posyagin, the supply volume will remain the same through the year 2004.

Mr. Posyagin also stated that the Gazprom company is currently considering the possibility of the construction of the second pipeline as part of Yamal-Europe gas supply network. He mentioned, at the same time, that there is a European project of a pipeline construction through the Baltic Sea.

Yamal-Europe pipeline has been operational since 1999. Its production capacity was 1.3 billion cubic meters then. In 2000, it reached 13.8 billion cubic meters, and in 2001 and 2002 - 15.5 and 18.1 billion cubic meters respectively.