Denmark has officially granted permission to Gazprom's Swiss subsidiary, Nord Stream 2 AG, to carry out conservation work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.
Points of attention
- The work involves installing special plugs at the ends of the pipe to prevent gas leakage and water ingress.
- The Kremlin invested significant funds in the construction of Nord Stream 2, but the project turned out to be a failure.
Nord Stream 2 will still be shut down
This decision was officially made by the Danish Energy Agency.
According to the latest data, the work involves installing specially manufactured plugs at each of the open ends of the pipe to prevent the leakage of residual gas and the ingress of oxygen-rich seawater.
The license is granted on a number of conditions to ensure the safe operation of the pipeline. Among other things, the company must submit an annual plan for the pipeline facility so that the Danish Energy Agency can continuously monitor the company's plans for the facility.
According to insiders, Nord Stream 2 AG intends to carry out work in the second or third quarter of 2025.
The Russian monopolist predicts that they will last 2-3 weeks.
What happened to Nord Stream?
The Kremlin invested billions of euros in the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but never started using it after construction was completed.
First, the aggressor country encountered legal problems, and then the process stalled due to the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
2 years ago, Russian gas pipelines were damaged by explosions, and the investigation into this is still ongoing.
Last year, Nord Stream 2 AG lost a case in the EU Court of Justice regarding a directive that extends the rules of the internal market for natural gas to gas pipelines from third countries.
According to Polish leader Andrzej Duda, gas supplies from Russia to Western Europe should not be restored, even if Russia and Ukraine reach a peace agreement.
