Azerbaijan, Baku, March 17 / Trend V.Zhavoronkova /
European Energy Agency member and Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) expert Neil John Melvin believes the ecological aspects of the planned Trans-Caspian gas pipeline will not create problems for the project.
Turkmenistan held a conference on "Environmental Aspects of the Trans-Caspian pipeline" in early March. The forum heard reports of environmental scientists and specialists of oil and gas complexes of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, as well as foreign companies with experience in the laying of offshore pipelines.
The Trans-Caspian gas pipeline will have a length of about 300 kilometers and be laid on the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea. The pipeline will connect to Azerbaijan, where it will link to the South Corridor.
The Southern Corridor is a priority EU energy project diversifying energy supply routes and sources and increasing EU energy security. The Southern Corridor includes the Nabucco gas pipeline, Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), White Stream, and ITGI (Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline).
Melvin said the conference has to be seen as part of the ongoing discussion rather than a defining event as itself.
"However, it [the conference] suggests that discussion about the Trans-Caspian pipeline has reached an advanced stage," Melvin told Trend over the telephone from Sweden.
Melvin said this conclusion can be drawn from the fact that now the discussions are about the practicality of building of such a pipeline. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan are going to explore issues of the environmental impact, which brings the realization of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline, he said.
Melvin stressed that the construction of a pipeline under the Caspian Sea should not create environmental problems.
"These kinds of pipelines are being built in many different places, so the environmental impact can be minimized," he added.
He said the Baltic Sea, under which the Nord Stream runs, can be cited as example. In addition, there are even more complex subsea pipelines.
"There is a lot of experience on this now, and this issue probably can be overcome," Melvin said.
