The Environmental Impacts of the Nord Stream Gas Pipeline in the Baltic Sea

Juha-Markku Leppänen SYKE Marine Research Centre Content

Nord Stream is a natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea linking Russian gas fields to the central Europe

. The Nord Stream ggpppjas pipeline project . Environmental concerns . Environmental Impact Assessments . Permitting process . CoConstructionnstruction . First results of the environmental monitoring The Nord Stream gas pipeline project

. Most extensive single construction in the Baltic Sea . Total length of 1124 km . 2 parallel pipelines . 55 billion m3 gas per year . Total investment of 7, 4 billion €

Construction Monitor

. First pipeline completed . Second pipeline to be ready in 2012 Main environmental concerns before the construction . Physical damage to the seabed • Increase in water turbidity • Release of nutrients and hazardous substances • Impacts on bottom currents . Dumped munitions and barrels • leakage, poisoning . MitiMunitions cl earance • sediment disturbance • fish,,, seals, birds... . Ship wrecks and other cultural heritage . Scientific heritage . Nature reserves . Fisheries, maritime transport, safety Permitting process before commencement of the construction

. The pi peli ne passes th e t errit ori al wat ers or EEZ of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany . Espoo Convention: Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context requires • Contracting Parties to notify and consult each other on all major projects that might have adverse environmental impact across borders • Individual Parties to integrate environmental assessment into the plans and programmes at the earliest stages • RiRussia not tCttiPttE a Contracting Party to Espoo Concen tion Permitting process before commencement of the construction

. TbdTransboundary const ttidtbdruction and transboundary impacts require both national and international permitting processes . Permission to use the sea area and to construct the pipeline concerns five countries (Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany) . International consultation to be carried out with four countries (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) Legislation in EEZ and Territorial Water in Finland

. EIA according to: • The Finnish EIA Act (468/1994) . Government’s approval for the activity and to the delineation of the course for the pipe lay (the exploitation right) according to: • The Finnish Act on the EEZ (Act 1058/2004) . Permit for construction according to: • The Water Act (Act 264/1961) . Permit for munitions clearance according to: • The Water Act (Act 264/1961) Environmental Impact assessment

. Fulfil the requirements of legislation and environmental standards . Identify, mitigate and avoid potential harmful impact s on th e envi ronment and h uman acti viti es and health . Assure that the environmental issues are taken into account in the decision process . Develop best possible planning and environmentally friendly construction and managgpement procedures as well as environmental monitoring programmes . Provide information to authorities and public Nord Stream Project phases

. 1997-1999: Feasibility studies . 2006: P ermitti ng process s tar ts . 2007: Detailed technical planning and studies for the Environmental Impact Assessment . 2009: International EIA and first permits . 2010: Finalising the permitting process and start of the pipeline construction Actions with expected impacts

Construction Seabed preparations / interventions Munitions handling (prior to and after the pipe laying) Rock placements Removal of major boulders Removal of ship wrecks Dreging of the pipeline Dredging Supportin g constructions Pipe laying Delivery of the pipes Pipe laying Anchoring Pre-commissioning and Commissioning Pipeline flooding, cleaning, Phase gauging and pressure testing Pressure-test water discharge Operational Phase Use of the pipeline Monitoring Restriction areas Maintenance (eg. Rock placements) Decommissioning phase No decision

Not relevant in the Finnish EEZ The pipeline in the Gulf of Finland Marine Protected Areas Crossing cables Potential areas for dumping of munitions Rock placement sites Studies carried out by Nord Stream

. Most extensive EIA carried out ever in the Baltic Sea . The company has invested >100 million € on environmental impact studies and environmental planning • to ensure that the desigggppn and routing of the pipeline through the Baltic Sea will be environmentally sound and safe Field and desktop studies

. Hydrography and bottom conditions . Marine flora and fauna . Fish and fisheries . Birds . Mammals . Protected areas . Tourism and recreational areas . Marine archaeology . Dumping sites for chemical and conventional munitions . Existing cables and pipelines . Raw material resources and extraction . Ship traffi c, routes and f ai rways Field studies

. >1,000 water and sediment samples in 96 monitoring stations . 77 monitoring stations for observation of the behaviour of fish , marine mammals and birds . Geological engineering survey covered >40,000 km, with 6,000 km of gradiometer surveying . Nord Stream has established a Data and Information Fund designed to increase the existing knowledge regarding the state of the Baltic Sea and its preservation Dumped munitions Dumped barrels Cultural heritage Hazardous substances in sediments Modelling excercises The EIA process

. Surveys and mod elli ng, d eskt op eval uati ons . National and international consultations • Dial ogue with auth oriti es • Public consultations . Lobbyyging . Changes in • pipeline route • pre-construction practices • Pipe laying practices • CtiCompensations • Monitoring programmes The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again. Helsinki

The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again.

Porkkala

Laybarge Solitaire

Tallinna The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again.

Environmmnetal Monitoring

Main results of the first monitoring studies

. Monitoring and assessments carried out by independent companies (Luode Consulting and Ramboll)

. Results • Minor and sh ort -titerm impact s • Increase in water turbidly close to the rock placement sites only • Natural level in turbidity in 1-2 days • Concentrations of hazardous substances in water close to natural levels (e.g. mercury below detection limits) • Dredging in Russia did neither affect the water quality in Finland territory nor EEZ Merellisen aluesuunnittelun haasteet