Gazprom and Fortum say Russian gas should be transported across Baltic Sea

Russian gas bound for Europe will be routed across the Baltic Sea pursuant to a decision made between the Finnish energy concern Fortum, Russia's Gazprom and their joint prospecting firm, Northern Transgaz Oy. The new route cuts the distance between Russian gas deposits and gas recipients in Europe by 1,000 km. There are plans to pump between 22 billion and 35 billion cubic meters of gas per year along the new route. The corresponding draft project should be in place within the next two years, while its implementation is due to begin by the end of the first decade of the next century.