Slovak state-owned downstream oil company Transpetrol is planning to connect Austria to the Druzhba pipeline -- pumping Russian oil to central Europe -- via a connector passing through the Zitny ostrov (Rye Island) protected area.

But the 1,900-square-kilometre island on the Danube river contains some 10 billion cubic metres of high-quality drinking water reserves.

"An oil pipeline leading through Zitny ostrov would endanger a unique and irreplaceable drinking-water resource for Bratislava and surrounding regions," Zenon Mikle, spokesman for a company supplying water to the Slovak capital, told AFP.

Transpetrol and Austrian downstream oil giant OMV expect to start building the 62-kilometre (39-mile) pipeline connecting Druzhba and the Trans-Alpine pipeline in 2012.

Slovakia, which depends on Russia for 98 percent of its oil supplies, accounting for about 5.5 million tonnes per year, is betting on the pipeline as an alternative source in case Russia decides to halt supplies through Druzhba.

The country has been trying to diversify its energy sources after it was left without oil supplies for three days in January 2007 when Russia interrupted deliveries following an energy dispute between Moscow and Belarussian authorities in Minsk.

In December 2009, Russia threatened to halt oil deliveries again over a price dispute with Ukraine.

"In case of a crisis, (via the new connector) we would be able to replace oil supplies immediately through a reverse flow from Austria," Slovak Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said recently.

But Karel Hirman, an energy security specialist, told AFP this was out of the question as "the pipeline would enable direct oil supplies from Russia to Austria but it wouldn't improve Slovakia's energy security in any way."

The Slovak Economy Ministry said in a press release it had asked Transpetrol to prepare at least one alternative route bypassing the protected area.

It added it would "support only a route that complies with all environmental protection and security standards" when taking the final decision expected in June or later.

Sven Pusswald, spokesman for OMV which holds a 26-percent stake in the project, said Slovakia alone was responsible for this section of the route, but that "the Slovaks are examining a number of different alternative routes."

In any case, an environmental NGO started a petition called "No to the pipeline through Zitny ostrov" earlier this month to fight the project.

"We have collected up to 12,000 signatures in two weeks, people are eager to sign," activist Miroslav Dragun told AFP.

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