Alexey Belogoryev, Deputy Principal Director on Energy Studies of the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to BaltNews on the prospects for restoring and operating the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.
Alexey Belogoryev said, that the prospects for the two currently defunct gas pipelines are extremely difficult. Interestingly, the fate of NS-1 and NS-2 may be somewhat different.
At the same time, Alexey Belogoryev notes, the NS-1 has a better chance of survival. Of course, there are big problems with turbines, which Canada does not give away again (it resumed sanctions on December 15). It is also not entirely clear yet how expensive the pipeline repair will be, and how much time it will take. But no certification is needed and Berlin has not imposed sanctions against Nord Stream 1 specifically."Nord Stream–2 has very gloomy prospects, because I don't see any prerequisites for Germany to give the opportunity to certify the operation of this pipeline. These problems, let me remind you, were even before February 24, 2022. And now there are also problems with the restoration of the gas pipeline after the terrorist attack. Even if Scholz resigns as chancellor now, the new candidate will be afraid to allow the launch of NS-2 – a serious waste of political capital. For too long, Berlin has been convincing everyone, including its own population, that such a pipe is not needed. Moreover, the German government does not even include gas supplies via pipelines from Russia in the balance of German consumption for the next years," the expert noted.
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