News
Publish date: April 30, 2007
News
EU countries want to become more independent from Russia. EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs attended the signing ceremony in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. The declaration was signed by Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Italy. The 1319-km long pipeline is to transfer 60–90 million tons of crude oil, including oil from Russia and other countries bordering the Caspian Sea, from the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta, via Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia to the Italian northern Adriatic port of Trieste.
The European gas pipeline is expected to make EU countries more independent from Russia, which is currently Europe’s main energy supplier. “Russia currently is our most important supplier of crude oil, and will be also in the future. However, diversification is a must,” said Piebalgs at the signing ceremony.
The construction of the €2-billion pipeline will begin between 2011 and 2013 and is expected to be finished by 2020, reported the news agency Reuters.
An accident aboard numerous Volgoneft oil tankers in the Kerch in mid December clearly show what can happen to aged ships when they are operated in bad weather—and when economic and military objectives are prioritized over the lives of crews and environmental safety.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
A visit last week by Vladimir Putin and a Kremlin entourage to Astana, Kazakhstan sought in part to put Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, on good footing with local officials.