The Main Department of State Expertise (MSE), the federal autonomous institution under the Russian Ministry of Construction responsible for state expert review of design documentation of major infrastructure projects, has issued a positive conclusion on the project documentation and engineering survey results for the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline in Russia.
This is a significant milestone for the permitting procedure in Russia. In line with Russian legislation, the positive MSE conclusion is a pre-сondition for receiving permits, including those issued by the Ministry of Construction and Utilities and the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource Use (Rosprirodnadzor). All approvals and permits necessary for the project implementation in Russia will be received in line with the existing legislation prior to the construction commencement planned in 2018.
So far, Germany and Finland have granted all the necessary permits for construction and operation of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. The national permitting procedures in the other three countries along the route – Russia, Sweden and Denmark – are proceeding as planned. Further permits are expected to be issued in the coming months. Accordingly, scheduled construction works are to be implemented in 2018 as planned.
