Will construction continue today? Pool: USA calls for Nord Stream 2 moratorium

Will construction continue today?
USA calls for Nord Stream 2 moratorium

Germany and the USA have very different opinions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. The embassy in Berlin once again calls for a construction freeze. In fact, work could resume this weekend. Time is running out.

The US embassy has called on the federal government to prevent further construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. "Now is the time for Germany and the EU to impose a moratorium on the construction of the pipeline," said the acting US ambassador in Berlin, Robin Quinville, the "Handelsblatt". This would send a clear signal that Europe "will no longer accept Russia's continued malicious behavior". The pipeline is not just an economic project, but the Kremlin's political tool to bypass Ukraine and divide Europe.

Due to the US sanctions, the construction work was stopped at the end of last year. Western special ships for the laying of the pipes were withdrawn due to impending penalties by the USA. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had emphasized that the pipeline should still be completed on its own. Russia now wants to use its own ships.

Work on a 2.6-kilometer section of the pipeline could resume this weekend. Nord Stream 2 AG has long had a permit for this from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). The permit is only valid until the end of the year. The company itself did not comment on the work.

The pipeline, which costs around 9.5 billion euros, is 94 percent ready. In the future, 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas will be pumped from Russia to Germany every year through the two pipelines of Nord Stream 2, each around 1200 kilometers long. The USA is against the project and justifies this with the fact that its European partners are too dependent on Russian gas. Critics accuse the US, on the other hand, of only wanting to sell their liquid gas better in Europe.

This week the US Congress presented a bill that provides for new sanctions against the construction of the pipeline. After the USA imposed sanctions against the operators of ships for laying the pipes a year ago, punitive measures are now to be made possible against insurers of such ships.

The Russian state-owned company Gazprom is behind the pipeline project and is expected to cover half of the planned total costs. The other half is financed by five European energy companies, such as Wintershall Dea, OMV as well as Uniper, Royal Dutch Shell and Engie.

. (tagsToTranslate) Economy (t) Nord Stream 2 (t) USA (t) Russia (t) Sanctions (t) Energy supply (t) Natural gas