It will cross over 100 watercourses, most of which are small rivers and brooks, and there will be no steep slopes or seismically-active zones, in contrast to the initially- proposed route that ran much closer to Baikal. The Lena River will be used for transportation of carry pipes and equipment for construction. The extended route will cost the project an extra $1bn, according to reports from Russia. In order to by-pass the freshwater Lake Baikal, the extended environmental study recommended a change in the pipeline route that will increase construction costs by $1 billion, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "As far as the pipeline system linking East Siberia and the Pacific Ocean is concerned, it is not an easy task, either from a technical or technological standpoint. It is not low-cost, either: it will cost us an additional $1bn," Mr Putin said on national television on 25 October. "But, since the pipeline will be built closer to the deposits, which will allow oil companies to save on auxiliary routes, the costs will not be that large in general. We will safeguard Lake Baikal. It is our national treasure," Mr Putin said. Two pumping stations will be built along this section, and construction may start before the end of the year, once final environmental permission is granted. So far, the pipeline sections between Taishet and Ust-Kut in the Irkutsk region and between Tynda and Skovorodino in the Amur region are under construction. About 500km of the pipeline have been welded, and over 350km of the pipeline have been completed. The total length of the first phase of this project exceeds 2,500km, and is planned to become operational at the end of 2008.