Moscow (AFP)

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to transport Russian gas to the EU will be completed by Moscow to override the American sanctions imposed on European companies associated with its construction, Gazprom said on Tuesday.

"The Nord Stream 2 project, already nearly 94% built, will be completed by the Russian side," said Elena Bourmistrova, director of Gazprom Export and vice-president of the group's board of directors, quoted by Russian agencies at the time. of a conference in Vienna.

Almost completed, Nord Stream 2 should double direct deliveries of Russian natural gas to Western Europe via the Baltic Sea to reach Germany.

US President Donald Trump passed a law on December 20 imposing sanctions on companies associated with its construction, saying that Europeans' dependence on Russian gas would be increased and Moscow's influence strengthened.

Moscow for its part denounced "unfair competition" and an attempt to push Europeans to turn to LNG imports from the United States, more expensive than Russian gas.

First consequence of the American sanctions, the Swiss company Allseas, in charge of laying the pipes, suspended its participation in the project in order to escape retaliatory measures.

The works should therefore now be completed by a Gazprom construction ship, the Akademik Tchersky. According to the Russian agency Interfax, the latter is currently "undergoing modernization".

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he hopes the pipeline will be completed by early 2021 at the latest, which is one year behind schedule, with initial commissioning scheduled for late 2019 or early 2020.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced the sanctions together with her Russian counterpart, reaffirming her support for the project.

The tube, which has cost 9.5 billion euros so far, is funded half by Gazprom, half by Europeans: Germans Wintershall and Uniper, Anglo-Dutch Shell, French Engie and Austrian OMV.

Gazprom did not indicate what the costs of the sanctions and their consequences would be. The group nevertheless assured that the level of Russian gas deliveries to Europe would be maintained in the medium term.

© 2020 AFP