Germany fully approves Russia-built Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

MOSCOW-Reuters

Germany has approved the construction and operation of the Russia-built Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, its operator and the German maritime authority said on March 27.

The Nord Stream 2 operator said it expected that other four countries along the route of the undersea gas pipeline – Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark – will issue permits in the coming months.

The “scheduled construction works are to be implemented in 2018 as planned” it added.

Germany’s maritime authority BSH said in a statement on March 27 that it had approved the building of the 31-kilometer section that runs through its waters since it posed no danger to shipping or the environment.”

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will pass across the Baltic Sea, connecting Russian suppliers with European consumers at over 1,200 km in length. The pipeline will have a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year.