Nord Stream AG says the natural gas pipeline it wants to build from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea would only have a temporary environmental impact.

The construction consortium said based on its assessment of the Baltic Sea project, any environmental impact of constructing the gas pipeline would be primarily short-lived and localized to the construction area, Helsingin Sanomat reported Friday.

Nord Stream says its plans to build the pipeline along the northern side of the Russian island of Gogland is intended to minimize the impact on area bird and seal habitats.

That aspect of the construction plan is a concern for Finland as it would be built near the Gulf of Finland National Park, Helsingin Sanomat said.

The Finnish newspaper also said the Nord Stream assessment does not address other key project concerns such as its impact on culturally valuable sunken shipwrecks nearby and what harmful substances may be released from the seabed during construction.

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