The construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline may start as early as six months from now, according to the Greek PM George Papandreou.

Papandreou has declared in an interview for the Russian agency ITAR-TASS that the institutional framework of the pipeline, which is a joint project of Bulgaria, Greece, and Russia, should be completed within six months, and that the actual construction works could start immediately after that.

The project still awaits an environmental assessment from the Bulgarian government, and an agreement over the transit of oil. According to Papandreou, these should be completed in the next six months.

The Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline is supposed to transport Russian and Caspian oil from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast to the Aegean circumventing the Bosphorus Strait.

The Bulgarian government of Boyko Borisov has made it clear in the recent months the realization of the project is conditional on its environmental impact.

The project is violently opposed by the local people in the Burgas region over fears it could threaten the tourism industry; another set of critics say Bulgaria has gotten very unfavorable terms under the project agreement – it is supposed to receive a fee of USD 35 M per year no matter how much oil is transited.

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