The second branch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is almost completed.

This is stated in the message of the Ministry of Economy of the Federal Republic of Germany, received by RIA Novosti.

“At present, the process of the so-called technical acceptance is underway (the first line is completed, the second line is almost completed, now the technical acceptance should take place).

This technical process is a procedure that must be followed by (project operator) Nordstream 2 AG, ”the statement says.

In addition, the department stressed that all the necessary permits for the construction of the pipeline were issued to the companies implementing the project.

And the permit to receive gas is "under development."

In turn, the executive director of Nord Stream 2 AG Matthias Warnig in an interview with the Handelsblatt newspaper on July 11 said that construction work within the framework of the Nord Stream 2 project could be completed already “at the end of August”.

  • Building of the Ministry of Economy of the Federal Republic of Germany

  • © Wikimedia Commons

“At the moment, the pipeline is 98% complete.

The missing 2% touch one of the two lines.

The other is completely ready, ”said Warnig.

At the same time, he said that the company's goal is to put the pipeline into operation "this year".

In addition, Warnig denied information that there are problems with the certification of works.

According to him, "the pipeline will meet all certification and international requirements."

In June, Nord Stream 2 AG announced that the construction of the offshore section of the first string of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was technically completed and that gas filling operations were starting on it, which could take several months.

Construction of the decade

As a reminder, Nord Stream 2 is two strings of a gas pipeline with a length of over 1200 km each and a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters.

m per year.

The pipes pass through the exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Germany.

Nord Stream 2 will supplement the capacity of the previously built Nord Stream gas pipeline.

It also consists of two lines and can transport up to 55 billion cubic meters.

meters of gas per year.

The development of Nord Stream 2 has been going on since 2012, when the shareholders of the first Nord Stream decided that the construction of two new pipelines was economically feasible and technically feasible.

In April 2017, Nord Stream 2 AG signed agreements with ENGIE, OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, Uniper and Wintershall to finance the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Pipe-laying started in September 2018.

At the same time, throughout the entire period of implementation, the project faced serious pressure both in the international arena and in Germany.

Thus, the United States is actively opposed to Nord Stream 2.

In their opinion, the gas pipeline will allegedly increase Europe's dependence on Russian energy resources.

However, in reality, analysts believe, Washington is defending its economic interests in this matter, since the United States is engaged in the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe.

To hinder the implementation of the project, Washington has repeatedly imposed sanctions on the ships and companies involved in the construction.

In particular, in December 2019, the then US President Donald Trump signed the country's defense budget, which provided for restrictions against the gas pipeline.

As a result, the Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas withdrew from the project.

In December 2020, the US Congress agreed to expand sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream projects.

As Matthias Warnig noted in an interview with Handelsblatt, the restrictions led to a delay in construction for a year and a half and provoked a rise in the cost of the project.

In addition, Poland actively opposes the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. In June 2021, the Polish Sejm adopted a relevant resolution on this issue. At the same time, the Polish deputies motivated their step by the allegedly existing danger of Russian expansion, including in Ukraine. However, according to experts, the real reason why Warsaw takes such a position is that Poland is implementing its own gas delivery programs. So, in 2015, a terminal for receiving American LNG was opened in Swinoujscie, Poland. In addition, at the end of June this year, Warsaw began laying the offshore section of the Baltic Pipe under the Baltic Sea. It will allow transporting fuel from Norway to the Danish and Polish markets, as well as to neighboring countries. Moreover,it is possible to send natural gas directly from Poland to Denmark.

  • Tanker with American LNG at the Polish terminal in Swinoujscie

  • Reuters

  • © Agencja Gazata / Cezary Aszkielowicz

Another enemy of Nord Stream 2 is Ukraine: Kiev is afraid to lose after the launch of the gas pipeline the de facto monopoly position as a transit country for Russian gas to Europe, which it held for several decades, experts say.

On July 12, the press secretary of the President of Ukraine Serhiy Nikiforov said that Volodymyr Zelensky intends to stop the Nord Stream 2 project during his current visit to Germany.

In Germany, the main opponent of the Nord Stream 2 project is the Soyuz 90 / Greens faction.

The association tried several times through the Bundestag to prevent the construction of the gas pipeline, but each time the attempts ended in failure.

The Greens explain their position by the fact that, from their point of view, Nord Stream 2 is not needed to supply Europe with energy, and is also allegedly harmful to the climate.

At the same time, no evidence of the negative impact of the pipeline on nature is provided.

  • Bundestag meeting

  • globallookpress.com

  • © Sebastian Gabsch via www.imago-i / www.imago-images.de

Meanwhile, the website of the pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG notes that the project has received all the necessary construction permits.

“The gas pipeline route passes through the territorial waters and / or exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of five countries.

In each of these countries, the necessary building permits have been obtained, ”the company says.

In turn, the Gazprom company, the founder of Nord Stream 2 AG, on its website emphasizes that the construction of Nord Stream 2 “uses reliable technologies that have already been tested in the implementation of Nord Stream.

“Using the successful experience of Nord Stream AG, which built and operates Nord Stream, provides additional guarantees that Nord Stream 2 will be implemented according to the highest environmental standards,” the website says.

"Transit risks disappear"

According to experts, at the moment, the completion of the gas pipeline is unlikely to interfere with anything.

“If nothing extraordinary happens ... There are two threads.

The first has already been completed.

Before the completion of the second one, very little is left.

The pressure from the US turned out to be senseless, which was actually admitted in Washington.

Zelensky's clowning in Berlin will also lead nowhere, "Alexander Frolov, deputy director general of the Institute of National Energy, said in an interview with RT.

Vyacheslav Kulagin, director of the Center for the Study of World Energy Markets at the Institute for Energy Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, adheres to a similar point of view.

  • Construction of Nord Stream 2

  • Reuters

  • © Maxim Shemetov

“At the moment, I do not see any reasons that could seriously delay the construction of the gas pipeline, since the laying is underway, there is not much left, everything necessary for laying is there.

One can see the political readiness of the project participants to complete it on time.

Obviously, if not some force majeure, then everything should end normally, and the project, at least the installation, will have to be completed.

A certain time is needed for test tests, but by the winter period this stage must also be passed, "the analyst said in an interview with RT.

According to experts, the FRG authorities were able to withstand serious political pressure and defended Nord Stream 2, since the country's authorities have an understanding that Germany needs this pipeline no less than the Russian Federation.

Nord Stream 2 is even more beneficial for Berlin than for Moscow, because it will ensure the energy security of Germany.

And not only the security of the FRG, but also of other European countries.

Routes such as the Ukrainian gas pipeline are unreliable.

Their technical condition is poor.

In the near future, the Ukrainian GTS, in principle, will not be able to ensure the supply of the volumes of gas that Gazprom needs to pump, ”says Frolov.

Vyacheslav Kulagin, in turn, believes that all parties will benefit from the completion of the gas pipeline.

“Everyone will benefit from the commissioning of Nord Stream 2: Europe will receive new safe gas through reliable pipes.

Moreover, in the future, it is possible to carry out the supply of hydrogen through them.

Russia finally finish the project and get used

to

lshie guarantees and opportunities for the supply of its gas to Europe.

Even for the United States, in a sense, there is a benefit here, because there will no longer be an annoying factor in its relations with Germany, ”the analyst says.

In addition, experts note that the work of the Ukrainian pipeline depends on the political situation in Kiev, which is extremely unstable.

And the use of Nord Stream 2 will reduce the risks of disruptions in fuel supplies to Europe.

“This will allow increasing Russian gas supplies to Europe via the shortest route from new fields.

This will significantly reduce the risks of energy supply to Europe, because any new infrastructure means additional energy security.

Here transit risks on the route of Russian gas to Europe virtually disappear, this is a plus for everyone, including transit countries, because they will no longer have to play political games around the pipeline, ”the analyst said.

Alexander Frolov also noted that Nord Stream 2 outperforms existing analogues in terms of its efficiency.

Nord Stream 2 will increase the reliability of these supplies and increase efficiency, as the energy efficiency of this route is higher than that of the Ukrainian and Yamal-Europe gas pipeline, which runs through Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany. Its environmental efficiency is also higher, because less energy is spent on pumping gas through this pipe, and less emissions are produced into the environment, ”the analyst concluded.