The project for construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea will be completed by 2017
The trilateral project for the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to South Korea via North Korea will be completed by 2017, the Ambassador of Russia in South Korea, K. Vnukov says. If they agree for the financial side and sign the necessary contracts, they can act in accordance with road maps and concrete elaboration of technical standards, and the work at the site, in order to complete the project by 2017. The new leaders of North Korea, and the South Korean authorities have confirmed their readiness to follow the achieved agreements, and it means that the work will continue. However the long-lasting tension between Koreas damages successful development of the project. The realization of the trilateral project for the pipeline construction, and the trilateral project for uniting of Transsib and trans-korean rail roads is a very important political factor that will stabilize the situation. In September 2011, Gazprom and Kogas signed the road map for the realization of the project for gas supplies to South Korea via a pipeline. Deliveries of gas from Russia to South Korea via North Korea was a matter of particular attention. The total length of the pipeline can be 1,100 km, if the shortest way is chosen, including 700 km via North Korea. Kogas estimates the project of the pipeline construction via North Korea by $2.5 billion. The Vice Chairman of Gazprom A. Medvedev says that the probable volume of gas supplies from Russia to South Korea is raised from 10 billion cubic m to 12 billion cubic m. Now Gazprom supplies to South Korean up to 1.5 million tons of LNG a year.
Translated by Nadezhda Poltoratskaya
