Germany urged not to question Nord Stream 2

Deputy Principal Director on Energy Alexei Belogoryev commented the prospects for Nord Stream 2 sanctions from Germany to Vestnik Kavkaza.

As Alexei Belogoryev, Deputy Director on Energy at the Institute for Energy and Finance (IEF) noted in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, two points of view on Nord Stream 2 are currently fighting in Germany, and none of them implies a complete rejection of the pipeline. «The first point of view is that the Nord Stream 2 sanctions is too strong and not proportional response, in no way connected with the Navalny case and the use of alleged chemical weapons. The second point of view is the sanctions should be in freezing it for 1–2 years, since it will be relatively painless for Germany, given that construction has already been idle for more than 9 months, and neither Berlin nor the EU is experiencing an obvious shortage of gas; such vivid sanctions will calm down Russia’s opponents «, he explained.

«The general problem of Nord Stream 2 is that it is indeed the most sensitive project in Russian-German relations, both economically and politically. If Germany wants to show Russia that it is impossible to live like this and Berlin is realy ready to reconsider relations towards Moscow radically, the ban on Nord Stream 2 will be a good way to demonstrate the seriousness of German intentions. At the same time, one must understand that this is only about the policy, where the project become a hostage. The statements, that Nord Stream 2 has nothing to do with the current political situation, are justified, but do not cancel the risk of imposing sanctions due to convenience of using the project as a target to attack the Russian Federation», Aleksey Belogoryev noted.

The expert said that Nord Stream 2, like Turkish Stream, are the latest megaprojects in the gas transportation sector. «Now the attitude to gas in Europe is getting worse, the EU’s hydrogen strategy, which has an anti-gas focus, was approved in the summer. I think there is no need to expect any major projects in the gas sector. Nord Stream 2, Turkish Stream and much less significant Poland’s Baltic Pipe are the latest pipeline construction projects in Europe. Everything else is just small interconnectors that should connect disparate national gas transmission systems. We can say that Nord Stream 2 is a monument to a passing era», concluded the IEF Deputy Director on Energy.