Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline that will bring natural gas from Russia to Germany. Such a pipe system is also called a pipeline. In Germany, for example, we need natural gas for heating. It is promoted in Siberia. From there it is supposed to reach the northern German city of Lubmin through the Baltic Sea. For this purpose, a pipeline more than 1200 kilometers long is being laid on the seabed. It is operated by the Russian company Gazprom. The construction is almost finished, there are only a few kilometers left.
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Why is the project being criticized?
Because Russia is causing too much trouble under President Vladimir Putin. In 2014, Russia took the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in violation of international law. Ukraine and Russia have been in an armed conflict since then. This is why Nord Stream 2 was already controversial when the pipeline construction was decided in 2015. Since then, German relations with Russia have deteriorated further. In 2015, Russian hackers stole data from computers in the German Bundestag. Sad low point: on August 20 last year, the politician Alexei Navalny was allegedly poisoned by Russian secret agents. Navalny, who barely survived, is an opponent of Putin. Putin probably wanted to get rid of him. Since that attack, there has been increasing discussion about stopping Nord Stream 2.
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What are the advantages of a stop?
Stopping would show Putin that he has crossed a line. And one would prove to the German population and the European partner countries that one would not put up with something like that. Many think that German politicians make themselves untrustworthy when they criticize Russia on the one hand, but on the other hand hold on to the construction of Nord Stream 2. With this, Germany offends many political partners, above all the USA. The US government believes that Germany is making itself dependent on Russia with Nord Stream 2. In addition, the USA would like to sell natural gas to the Germans themselves. In fact, Germany is not dependent on either Russian or US natural gas. You could also buy the gas you need from European partners. In addition, the demand is likely to decrease in the future. The transport and burning of natural gas harm the climate. That is why it is better to invest in more sustainable energies, say some experts.
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What speaks against a stop?
As I said, the pipeline is almost finished. If the construction were to be stopped now, a lot of money would have been sunk in the sea: around 9.5 billion euros. Gazprom pays half of this sum. The other half is shared by five other energy companies. If Nord Stream 2 is stopped, they could go to court and sue for damages. In addition, heating costs in Germany could rise. Putin could turn his back on the European Union and work more with China in the future. Some German politicians fear that this would result in losing influence on Russia. There are also better ways of showing Putin his limits, it is said. For example, the foreign bank accounts of people who were involved in the poison attack on Navalny could be blocked. Incidentally, for the federal government, natural gas is a so-called bridging technology. That means: as long as there is not enough energy from solar, wind and water power for the whole of Germany, we need natural gas.
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How are things going now?
Nord Stream 2 is unlikely to stop. The federal government will find it very difficult to explain why it held onto this controversial pipeline for so long and then decided differently over the last few meters. Nord Stream 2 is expected to be operational. To accommodate the US government, Germany could buy additional natural gas from the US. None of this is good for the climate. That’s why the Greens were against Nord Stream 2 from the start. One more reason that the project will now be carried out quickly. Because if the Greens came to power in the federal election in September, the discussion would start all over again.
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This article appeared in »Your SPIEGEL« 05/2021.
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