Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

HELSINKI - A proposed $15 billion natural gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany beneath the Baltic Sea received a boost Thursday after Finland's environmental authority said it had no major objections to its construction.

The authority, the Uusimaa Environment Center, said in a statement that the project meets the requirements of Finnish environmental law. Uusimaa is the region on the Gulf of Finland where the pipeline will pass close to Finland.

Officials from Nord Stream AG, the Russian-German joint venture that will build and operate the 750-mile (1,200-kilometer) pipeline, hailed the statement.

"This means that the project is on schedule. We will now familiarize ourselves with the statement and provide all necessary additional clarifications," said Sebastian Sass, Nord Stream's head of relations in the European Union.

The pipeline still needs approval from Finland's Council of State and several additional permits _ including from Sweden, Denmark and Germany _ before underwater construction in the Baltic Sea region can begin.

A final decision from Finland could come later this year.

Nord Stream will provide a direct link between Russia, the world's largest producer of natural gas, and Germany, one of Europe's largest gas users, and allow the two sides to avoid paying transit fees to neighboring countries.

The pipeline will carry an estimated 55 billion cubic meters of gas each year from Russia's Vyborg to Germany's port of Greifswald. Once all permits are received, construction is scheduled to start in early 2010.