75 % of first branch of Nord Stream gas pipeline is ready

The construction of the first branch of the two branch Nord Stream
pipeline is 75% complete, RIA Novosti reports.

The first deliveries from Russia to Germany through the new gas
pipeline are scheduled for autumn 2011.

Nord Stream is a fundamentally new route for Russian gas exports to
Europe, primarily to the markets of Germany, Britain, France, the
Netherlands and Denmark. The pipeline is 1220 kilometers long and is
capable of dealing with 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year. It
will pass under the Baltic Sea from Russia (Vyborg) to Germany
(Greifswald).