The Swedish government has given permission for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea, said Swedish Minister of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Mikael Damberg on Thursday at a press conference.
“The government has given permission for the Nord Stream 2, to lay a gas pipeline in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea, Sweden just cannot reject this project,” the minister said.
The $11 billion Nord Stream 2 project would double the amount of natural gas Russia can funnel to the heart of Europe from newly tapped reserves in Siberia.
Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, has already received all the requisite permits from Germany. Later, the Finnish government also gave its consent for construction of the pipeline through its exclusive economic zone, though one more permit from Finland is expected to be made within the next weeks.