Finnish environmental authorities have granted final approval for the construction of Russia's Nord Stream gas pipeline through Finnish waters, Interfax reported Friday.
Finnish authorities approved the pipeline last November, but final approval still had to be obtained from environmental authorities in the south of the country.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday there would be no environmental risks from the 1,220-kilometer pipeline, which is to run under the Baltic Sea to bring gas from Russia to the European Union.
The EUR7.4 billion project is led by Russian state-run energy giant OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) in partnership with Germany's E.On Ruhrgas and BASF-Wintershall. It will link the Russian city of Vyborg and Greifswald in Germany, running under the Baltic Sea and passing through Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish and German waters. The pipeline will carry 55 billion cubic meters of gas when it is completed in 2012.