Nord Stream On Schedule

Work on the second string of the Nord Stream pipeline started and the leg could be carrying Russian natural gas by next year, the project consortium announced.

"Gas deliveries from Line 1 will begin before the end of 2011 and Line 2 will be launched in 2012," said Nord Stream Managing Director Matthias Warnig in a statement.

The project consortium announced from Switzerland that construction was on track, noting more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) of Line 1 had been laid in the Baltic Sea. Line 2 construction has also begun.

The company added that all aspects of the project were proceeding as planned and that the project has received all the necessary permits, and all pipes and construction capacities have been procured.

Construction on the Nord Stream pipeline started in April and it will pass through economic zones in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

Recent discussions to the contrary of Nord Stream's schedule arose due to concerns about other gas pipeline projects and as a result of comments by Russian Gas Society President Valery Yazev, who said on Monday that the second phase of the pipeline was suspended.