SAMSUN (Turkey), November 17 (RIA Novosti) - The construction of the North European Gas Pipeline, which will stretch 1,200 kilometers from Russia to Germany and will cost at least 4 billion euros, will begin this year, the Russian industry and energy minister said Thursday.
"We will witness the beginning of serious construction work in the near future that will drive toward a common factor - to increase the energy security of the European market," Viktor Khristenko said.
The minister also said the $3.4-billion 757-mile Blue Stream pipeline, with a maximum capacity of 16 billion cu m, would not have only one branch but that there were proposals to supply natural gas to southern Europe, the Balkans, Greece, and via the Mediterranean to Israel.
"We consider these projects to be interesting to Russia," Khristenko said, adding that they created possibilities for gas supplies to traditional and new markets.
He also said Russia and Turkey were discussing the construction of natural gas storage facilities and LNG plans since Turkey could become a terminal for gas transportation routes.
