Pumping of Russian natural gas to Europe via the Baltic Nord Stream pipeline will start in September 2011, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
"In May 2011, construction is to be completed on the sea section and on land in Germany and Russia. And gas will start to be pumped in September," Putin said at a meeting with Marcel Kramer, CEO of Dutch Gasunie, which has a 9% stake in the project.
Earlier on Friday, Russia's Gazprom, the world's largest gas producer, received its final permit from Finland to build the $10-billion pipeline under the Baltic Sea, its first route to Western Europe to bypass transit countries blamed for previous supply disruptions that affected consumers in the EU.
The project also involving BASF AG and E.ON Ruhrgas AG had encountered hurdles from Baltic nations concerned about the pipeline's environmental impact.
Putin said in Helsinki on Thursday that Russia's energy strategy is based on an expected growth in global demand, and the structure of energy consumption is unlikely to change in the next 15-20 years despite the development of alternative sources. Russia currently supplies about 20% of the European Union's natural gas demand.