Graphic shows a timeline of the Nord Stream 2 project.
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ENERGY

Uncertain future for German-Russian pipeline

September 1, 2020 - The United States is threatening to expand sanctions against Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline to Germany by targeting companies involved in laying the final segment of the project.

The 1,230km-long twin pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea from Narva Bay in Russia to the German town of Lubmin is virtually finished, with only an approximately 160km-long segment in Danish waters remaining to be laid.

Natural gas was supposed to start flowing through the pipeline in late 2019, but construction work has been halted due to the threat of U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. has long opposed the project, which has been increasingly a source of friction between Berlin and Washington as it nears completion. In early August, three Republican senators threatened sanctions against the operator of a Baltic Sea port over its part in Nord Stream 2. The Mukran port is a key staging post for ships involved in its construction.

The U.S. argues the project will endanger European security by making Germany overly dependent on Russian gas. It’s also opposed by Ukraine and Poland, which will be bypassed by the pipeline under the Baltic, as well as some other European nations.

In addition to the security concerns, the U.S. also wants to sell more of its own liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to Europe, AP said.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 01/09/2020; STORY: Graphic News
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