ITAR-TASS: South Stream gas project acceptable for EU though not a priority — EU official

Russia’s South Stream gas pipeline project is acceptable for the European Union, however, it is not a project of priority importance at the moment, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said on Thursday.

South Stream is Russian energy giant Gazprom's global infrastructure project designed to build a gas pipeline with a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters across the Black Sea to Southern and Central Europe in order to diversify natural gas export routes and eliminate transit risks.

The construction of the South Stream pipeline started in late 2012. Under the project, the first deliveries are due in 2016 and the pipeline is expected to become fully operational in 2018.