The second half of last week for the Nord Stream 2 project turned out to be quite everyday, businesslike, but still quite eventful and, you will laugh, it was all the more symbolic.
At first, quite recently, Denmark, "opposition" to the project, issued the pipeline operator, Nord Stream 2 AG, a permit not only for the construction, but also for the subsequent operation of Nord Stream 2 on the Danish continental shelf.
As officially reported by the DEA (Danish Energy Agency, the structure responsible for such documents), Nord Stream 2 AG will now be able to use the constructed gas pipeline if it fulfills the rather “duty” obligations for the safe operation of the pipeline: this is a standard procedure, there is nothing supernatural there and there will be can not.
In particular, one of the pipeline branches must undergo the necessary testing and inspection in accordance with the rules well known to the operator, with which he was initially familiarized and agreed.
In general, the decision is pretty routine, of course.
But for people who understand, the situation is highly symbolic: work is going on, as they say, according to plan, regardless of any attendant circumstances.
This at least makes sense to respect.
And especially symbolic, by the way, there is also the fact that almost simultaneously with the decision of the Danish DEA KMTUS "Akademik Chersky" went to sea after the refurbishment necessary for the completion of the "Nord Stream - 2", for the final sea trials "on open water" ...
Going into technical details, the main goal of the upcoming tests is to test the eight-anchor positioning system with independent power generators for the operation of winches.
Basically, what is called the final tweak.
And if the tests are recognized as successful, then readiness to resume construction of the Nord Stream 2 can be expected as early as early November 2020.
Therefore, approximately at the same time that the leadership of Gazprom spoke about even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and was confirmed by the top leadership of the Russian Federation.
That is, no force majeure seems to be expected, and construction is preparing to resume according to its previous schedule.
And, let's be honest, no one really expected anything else.
Despite, excuse me, all the “accompanying political circumstances” surrounding the completion of construction, which, by the way, are very far from their own completion.
Please note: as such, "Navalny's incident", unfortunately, has not been removed from the political agenda, including in Germany itself.
The scandalous blogger who is "in rehabilitation", despite the frankly dubious reputation that causes more and more questions (neither sympathy for nationalist ideas, nor even more involvement in criminal and corruption spheres in economic activity in Germany, at least publicly, is not welcome), of course, are going to use not only in the abstract "West", but also in a very concrete Germany and beyond.
Frau Bundescanzlerin herself does not come to visit every patient of the Charite Clinic - this pain has yet to be earned.
It's just that he, this very "incident", very carefully, truly in German, through the procedure in the Bundestag and other purely formal actions, is in fact separated from what is of vital interest for Germany itself, namely from implementation (we are talking about this wrote a lot) for a long time not Russian, but European (read: largely German) project "Nord Stream - 2".
Because war is war, and dinner, excuse me, is on schedule.
In addition, this "hybrid war with the Russians" - and the German, at least, the business elite understand this very well - is now being conducted not in the interests of Germany itself.
And, as it were, even the other way around: this information "war with Russia" acts here as an obvious cover for the tough trade and economic confrontation between the overseas patron and his - as he, the patron, believes - European clientele.
For Europeans themselves, with what joy do they count in the same way?
Therefore, the European allies of the United States join the "hostilities" even under tough pressure with such a degree of diligent selectivity as in the ancient humorous miniature: "here we play, but here we wrap the fish."
In our country, in less humanitarian and vegetarian times, this would be called simply sabotage.
And people here, in general, can also be understood - if only because they are trite not sure that this war is not being waged against them.
And what the hell is this, forgive me, enthusiasm ...
However, it would be extremely naive to consider the confrontation around Nord Stream 2 after this German sabotage complete.
Moreover, this "confrontation" (and we already had to remind our dear readers of this) is unlikely to end even after the technical completion of the gas pipeline construction.
That is why, in fact, documents such as the permit issued by the Danish DEA for the operation of Nord Stream 2 become so important: this is already another step on the next “stage of the struggle”, and not just a declaration, and this, believe me, is simple it’s somehow naive not to understand.
Equally, by the way, how to build at the present stage - “on the wave of success” - any illusions about the possible construction of Nord Stream 3, as part of the Russian expert community has already begun to do this.
However, what cannot be taken away from them is what this “community” has always been able to do in the highest degree excellently - to feel the subtlety of the current political moment.
And often to say only what is pleasant to the bosses to hear, and by no means what should be said at all.
And if we really speak in essence, nothing can be ruled out in this life, of course.
But at present, neither the state of the Russian Federation, nor Gazprom, which represents state interests in this area, has any obvious interest in building another Cyclopean project in the European direction, with all the obviousness.
And not at all because European markets will not need it.
On the contrary, we will not remind here commonplace things about the depletion of European production.
Production at the landmark Groningen field in the Netherlands by 2022 will amount to 12 billion cubic meters against 50 billion of the more recent "heyday", and by 2030 production there must be completely stopped, otherwise there will be a real ecological and geological disaster.
Production is declining in Norway and Scotland.
We add here the nuclear power industry, killed by Merkel under pressure from the “greens” (up to a quarter of Germany's generation) and the coal-fired one, and we understand that the European market will easily gobble up Nord Stream 3, or even “four” and “five”.
Not in this case.
And it’s not that we “kindly” concede a part of the European gas market to American LNG, although there may also be some agreements there - it’s hard to guess, but why, in fact, not.
The West, when it comes to big money, is no less "subtle" than any intricate East.
Simply, you know, there is such a thing as Russia's own energy policy priorities, and they are quite clearly outlined.
First of all, this is maximum work in the domestic markets.
And in general, in the current turbulent times, reliance on domestic markets for any self-respecting office like Gazprom is also a priority from the point of view of security.
And in a period of global instability, this factor, you know, somehow sounds special.
As for the external projects, it is not the new European gas pipeline that is quite obvious, but the "western route" promised to the Chinese comrades long ago.
He is nee "Altai" gas pipeline, he is "Power of Siberia - 2".
Which, we recall, is being built on the same resource base as European projects.
This gas for Power of Siberia - 1 was produced closer to the east, at the Chayandinskoye and later at the Kovykta fields.
The resource base of Power of Siberia-2 is precisely the “European” Yamal.
And, of course, the priorities are processing (the same Amur and Baltic GCC, projects are quite realistic and really revolutionary for domestic processing) and LNG.
And when the extremely unstable and unreliable (primarily in terms of internal political risks) European markets get on this list of priorities - at least from the point of view of the implementation of new "large" projects - a very big question.
So, of course, we will finish Nord Stream 2 for the Europeans, since we have already promised.
But we will definitely not carry chestnuts out of the fire for them with our own hands, no matter how much someone wants it.
This is quite enough.
And new Russian projects like the potentially possible (but not in the short-term historical perspective) Nord Stream 3 will still have to be earned, and very, very diligently.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.