New Europe: South Stream south-westward route delayed

The southern branch of the planned Russian-backed South Stream natural gas pipeline will not start until 2015, a Greek former energy minister told New Europe on 3 February, indicating that the optional south-westward route is up in the air.

The project provides for the offshore South Stream pipeline to run under the Black Sea from the Russkaya compressor station on the Russian coast to the Bulgarian coast. The total length of the offshore section will be around 900 kilometres, the maximum depth – over two kilometres and the design capacity – 63bn cubic metres. MORE