Gazprom: South Stream works continue in summer

Gazprom: South Stream works continue in summer

BELGRADE -- The South Stream gas pipeline project in Serbia will this year enter its active implementation stage, a Gazprom official has said.

Basic construction and assembly works expected to start at the end of the second quarter of 2014, according to an adopted timetable, head of the Russian gas and oil giant's Project Management Department Leonid Chugunov has said.

Speaking about the significance of the South Stream pipeline for Serbia, Chugunov said on Thursday that preliminary works have been in full swing since November 23, 2013, and that regulation of land ownership rights is nearing completion for the priority section, with technical control of design documentation also under way.

"In the process of designing and defining the key technical parameters for the South Stream, we paid particular attention to environmental safety - our intention is to use leading-edge technology while complying with the most stringent environmental requirements," a statement quoted Chugunov as saying.

South Stream's first pipes were welded in November in Serbia to mark the official start of works to build the pipeline's section through the country.