The Russian gas pipeline “Nord Stream-2” can begin its work without waiting for the completion of certification, analysts of the German newspaper Handelsblatt believe, RIA Novosti reports.
The publication recalled the pipelines NEL and EGL 401, which were put into operation before the completion of the certification process. The German Federal Network Agency said that in this case, the fine would be “no more than a million euros.”
“This amount looks acceptable. Investments in the construction of Nord Stream-2 are no less than ten billion euros”, Handelsblatt said.
The newspaper’s analysts emphasized that such a scenario could be tempting for Gazprom, since thanks to the launch of Nord Stream-2, the Russian company can save on gas transit through Ukraine. Let us recall that the new gas pipeline has a total capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
The construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline was completed on 10 September. According to the project operator Nord Stream 2 AG, the first string of the pipeline has already been filled with technical gas. Pavel Zavalny, Chairman of the State Duma Energy Committee, said that the launch of Nord Stream 2 is planned for early 2022.