The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will be completed in 2021, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday, April 23, citing the project operator Nord Stream 2 AG.
“According to the information that we have from the operator, this will happen this year,” he answered the question of whether Nord Stream 2 could be completed in the summer.
Novak clarified that only Nord Stream 2 AG itself, which is engaged in construction, has more accurate information on the timing of the completion of the project, Interfax reports.
On April 20, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany had made a choice in favor of building the SP-2, despite criticism from the EU countries. She noted that there is a political struggle around the project, but Berlin needs to maintain interaction with Moscow, including in the energy sector.
On April 15, US President Joe Biden signed a decree on the introduction of new anti-Russian sanctions. He noted that he could have introduced tougher sanctions against Russia, but did not do this. According to the American leader, the US administration is considering the option of introducing unilateral sanctions against Nord Stream 2.
Nord Stream 2 is being built from Russia to Germany across the bottom of the Baltic Sea for direct and reliable gas supplies to Europe. The project involves the construction of two lines of the gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. m per year. European countries mainly support the project and participate in its implementation. Poland, the Baltic States, Ukraine and the United States are opposed.