Nord Stream Explained

Nord Stream (German–English mixed expression for "North Stream"; Russian: link=no|Северный поток, Severny potok) is a network of offshore natural gas pipelines which run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany to provide Western Europe with natural gas. It comprises two separate projects, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. Both pipelines each comprise two pipes, NS1 A and B as well as NS2 A and B, for a total of 4 physical pipes. Both pipelines start in Russia and land in Lubmin, Germany. NordStream is owned by a consortium of 5 energy companies: Gazprom international projects North 1 LLC (Gazprom Group company), Wintershall Dea AG, PEG Infrastruktur AG (E.ON), N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie and ENGIE. It was the first pipeline that bypassed Ukraine and Poland to deliver Russian natural gas directly to West Europe.

• Nord Stream 1 (NS1) runs from Vyborg, in northwestern Russia near Finland, and entered service in 2011.^[1] It is operated by Nord Stream AG. From 31 August 2022, Gazprom halted delivery indefinitely, officially because of maintenance.^{[2] [3]}
• Nord Stream 2 (NS2) runs from Ust-Luga in northwestern Russia near Estonia. The pipeline was built to increase gas exports towards Europe, aiming to double annual capacity. The project was completed in 2021, but did not enter service, because Germany withheld opening permission on February 22, 2022 due to Russia recognizing the Ukrainian separatist regions of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic as independent,^[4] in line with a previous joint warning made with US president Joe Biden on February 7, 2022 to end the project if Russia were to invade Ukraine.^[5]

The project Nord Stream 2 was opposed from the start by the United States,^{[6] [7]} primarily because it would increase German dependence on Russian energy. The United States later imposed sanctions on companies that were involved in the project.^[8] The U.S. sanctions were criticized heavily by German politicians as "a serious interference in the internal affairs of Germany and Europe and their sovereignty".^[9]

On 6 February 2022, speaking at a joint news conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, American president Joe Biden said "If Russia invades … Ukraine again, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it." When asked how he would do that, he responded, "I promise you, we’ll be able to do it."^[10]

2022 sabotage

See main article: 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. On 26 September 2022, news broke of four explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines, rendering three of the four lines inoperable. Three separate investigations were started by Germany, Sweden and Denmark, the latter two were closed without publicly assigned responsibility for the damage in February 2024.^{[11] [12]} In June 2024 German authorities issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national named Volodymyr Z suspected of the sabotage.^[13]

Although none of the four Nord Stream pipelines were in operation, they still contained pressurized natural gas, of which vast quantities were released into the Baltic Sea.

See also

• Balticconnector
• Nabucco pipeline
• South Stream

Notes and References

1. News: 2011-11-08 . Controversial Project Launched : Merkel and Medvedev Open Baltic Gas Pipeline . en . Der Spiegel . 2022-10-13 . 2195-1349.
2. News: Cooban . Anna . 31 August 2022 . Russia cuts more gas supplies to Europe as inflation hits another record . 9 August 2024 . CNN.
3. News: 2022-09-02 . Gazprom: Nord Stream 1 gas to stay shut until fault fixed, "workshop conditions needed" . en . . 9 August 2024.
4. News: 2022-02-22 . Germany freezes Nord Stream 2 gas project as Ukraine crisis deepens. 2023-03-08 . .
5. News: 2022-02-07. Biden vows to end German-Russian gas pipeline if Ukraine is invaded . 2023-03-08 . .
6. Web site: . When pipeline politics go boom Responsible Statecraft . Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, responsiblestatecraft.org . 9 August 2024 . en . 28 October 2022.
7. News: US-Abgeordneter wirft Schröder "politische Prostitution" vor . 9 August 2024 . Süddeutsche.de . 17 May 2010 . de.
8. News: U.S. imposes further sanctions in connection with Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline . 9 August 2024 . www.reuters.com . 23 November 2021.
9. News: Germany "firmly rejects" U.S. sanctions on Nord Stream 2 firms . 9 August 2024 . www.reuters.com . 21 December 2019.
10. News: Shalal . Andrea . 8 February 2022 . Biden pledges end to Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine . Reuters . 3 January 2024.
11. News: Sweden Closes Investigation of Pipeline Blasts, but Stays Silent on Cause . Ruiz . Rebecca R. . Sanger . David E. . 7 February 2024 . New York Times . live . registration . https://web.archive.org/web/20240222144555/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/world/europe/sweden-nord-stream-pipeline.html . 2024-02-22 . February 12, 2024 .
12. News: Nord Stream: Denmark closes investigation into pipeline blast . Laura . Gozzi . BBC News . 4 March 2024 . BBC . 26 February 2024 . 4 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240304214723/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68401870 . live .
13. News: Nord Stream sabotage: Germany issues arrest warrant — report . dw.com . 2024-08-14 . 2024-08-14.