Construction of the second Nord Stream line connecting Russia and Europe through the Baltic Sea was completed on June 28, RIA Novosti cites the director of the project Henning Kote on Wednesday.
The land and maritime sections will be connected in August. The second line will be launched in the third quarter of 2012. Earlier reports said that it would be launched in October.
Feabisility studies of additional lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline may be completed by the end of this year.
Nord Stream runs from Portovaya Bay to Germany. It has a length of 1,200 km. Gazprom has a share of 51% in the project, Wintershall and E.On (Germany) have 15.5% each, Gasunie (Netherlands) and GDF Suez (France) have 9% each. Nord Stream AG, a joint venture, is implementing the project.
