Slovakia's Eastring pipeline due to start commercial operation by end of 2018

The Eastring gas pipeline is due to begin commercial operation by the end of 2018, the Slovak economy ministry said after a discussion at a government session on Wednesday.

The length of the pipeline, depending on the final decision concerning its route, will be between 744 and 1,015 km. The costs expected for the first phase will be in the ballpark of 1.14 to 1.52 billion euro (about 1.27 to 1.69 billion U.S. dollars).

"The Eastring project is the most effective pipeline project in the region at the moment in terms of investment and time," said Slovak Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis of the pipeline which has a capacity of 20 billion cubic meters in the first phase and 40 billion cubic meters in the final phase.

The gas flowing through the pipeline will potentially come from Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Cyprus and Western Europe. The pipeline will allow for reverse flows of gas. Endit