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German PM Says Gas Nord Stream Pipeline Will Never Begin Operations

The Russian-led US$11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline will never get the green light to start operations following the suspected sabotage of parts of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in recent weeks.

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The Russian-led US $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline will never get the green light to start operations following the suspected sabotage of parts of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in recent weeks.

The fully completed pipeline, which was already mired in controversy before Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in February, looks likely never to be allowed to transport Russian gas into Europe via Germany. The Prime Minister of Germany's Lower Saxony region, Stephan Weil, said gas will never flow through the new pipeline. "The loss of trust is so fundamental that there will never again be a situation in which a German government can rely on energy from Russia. Nord Stream 2 will never go into operation."

He added: "The Russians have long since burned all bridges by destroying the most important asset in a partnership: trust. Anyone who now agrees to cooperate with Russia would have to fear being tricked a second time. This cooperation is irretrievably destroyed. And the West will recover faster than Russia."

In recent weeks, four major leaks were noted in both pipelines, with seismographic evidence pointing to explosive sabotage. The detected leaks mark the biggest single release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded, according to the United Nations (UN). Some European Union (EU) member states have pointed the finger at Russia which has been using gas as a weapon by severely reducing and sometimes halting flows via Nord Stream 1 into Europe over the past year. The EU stopped short of blaming Russia but agreed that the leaks were not accidents.

"The European Union is deeply concerned about damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that has resulted in leaks in the international waters of the Baltic Sea. Safety and environmental concerns are of utmost priority. These incidents are not a coincidence and affect us all. All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act. We will support any investigation aimed at getting full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security. Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response."

Boasting two parallel 48-inch wide pipelines, it is capable of transporting 55 billion cubic meters (Bcm) of natural gas per year. In February, Germany put on hold the final approval process for the pipeline after the invasion of Ukraine, while in March, all of the European investors in the project abandoned it. For additional information, see February 23, 2022, article - Germany Halts Authorization of Nord Stream 2 Natural Gas Pipeline and March 22, 2022, article - Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Loses European Investors.

Excerpted from Industrial Info News, Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)

  

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