Opponents of the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline do not take into account two important factors in their speculations.
Bundestag deputy and member of the international affairs committee Waldemar Gerdt said this in an interview for RIA Novosti.
All claims that Nord Stream-2 is a political project in Russia collapse if the situation is examined in more detail. The point is, explains Gerdt, that this project is neither Russian nor German. This project belongs to more than a hundred companies that have invested huge amounts of money in it and expect to make a profit.
“Each of them received permission, went through the necessary procedures and invested. If Nord Stream-2 is stopped by a political decision, then we will have to pay over 10 billion euros in penalties”, – the parliamentarian said, adding that this money will be sent to companies that participate in the project.
Moreover, the abandonment of Nord Stream-2 threatens Germany’s energy security. Opponents of the pipeline often say that Europe should not depend on Russian gas, but it already depends on it. Russia accounts for about 40% of the total gas supplies to Europe. This cooperation is beneficial, especially in the context of the transition to clean energy. Given the phasing out of coal and nuclear power plants, gas is a vital resource.
“Where can we look for energy resources if we refuse the most environmentally friendly and economically advantageous offer from Russia?” – Gerdt says.