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All attempts by the United States to stop the Nordstream-2 did not bring results. The foreign land part of the gas pipeline was completed. Now the pipes are being placed in the waters of Germany, then-Denmark. Analysts point out that the project has reached the final stage and will be completed in any case. However, problems may arise regarding the American position, writes Alex Ivanov from Moscow.
Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom management Board, General Director of Gazprom Export Elena Burmistrova said at a meeting with investment banks that the foreign land part of the pipeline is fully ready.
On December 11, work resumed in the territorial waters of Germany-after a one-year break. From January 15, pipes will be laid in the waters of Denmark. According to Burmistrova, the term of completion of the construction of the sea section depends on a number of conditions, in particular the weather.
The pipe-laying vessel Fortuna will be assisted by Murman and Baltic Explorer of the Russian Maritime rescue service, as well as other support vessels.
In October, the project was extended to the PEESA package “on protecting the energy security of Europe”. Companies that provide services, equipment, or financing for the modernization or equipping of pipe-laying vessels are subject to the restrictions.
Insurance and certification companies that cooperate with Russian courts are now under threat. The sanctions already approved by the US Congress will be included in the amendments to the defense budget for 2021. As a result, insurers will not risk compensating for damage incurred during the completion of the pipeline, and certification firms will not be able to assess the reliability of welded pipes before supplying gas to Germany. Although, experts point out, the danger of new sanctions is not yet completely clear.
“On the one hand, Congress passed this bill, on the other — it is not signed by Donald Trump and it is not a fact that Joe Biden will sign it: “the first one needs to pack up to leave the White house, the second one needs to settle in and deal with the plight of the economy,” says independent industrial expert Leonid Khazanov.
Germany has already said that if the White house implements these plans, the Bundestag will prepare retaliatory measures. In particular, according to an internal document of the German Ministry of economy, the Merkel government is considering coordinated actions with the European Union.
The project partners note that Russia will bypass the sanctions in any case and complete the construction. “Pipe laying will resume and the pipeline will be completed,” said Rainer Seele, chief Executive officer of Austrian oil company OMV AG.
Nord stream – 2 can be completed by summer, and by next winter — get certificates for gas transportation, according to experts at the Oxford Institute for energy research. Further sanctions are likely to delay the timing, but eventually Russia will “find a way to overcome any obstacle.” The Americans “must understand that they cannot stop the project,” the analysts stressed.
Russian experts have similar forecasts. “The current sanctions against Nord stream – 2 against Gazprom are like a mosquito bite, and Washington might as well try to ban us from producing natural gas. If Joe Biden signs the bill, Gazprom and its partners will still bring the matter to its logical conclusion and start pumping. In my opinion, the laying of pipes will be completed by April/May, ” says Leonid Khazanov.
However, according to him, if everything is clear with the completion, then there may be difficulties at the commissioning stage. The fact is that the new sanctions, sewn into the US defence budget for 2021, relate to the maintenance of the gas pipeline and its operation. It is possible that they will be tough. And here a lot depends on the Europeans: they will decide to give permission for pumping and using gas or not.
Washington still considers the project a threat to the interests of Europe, which they do not agree with. Germany, which acts as the main advocate of the project, constantly discusses with Washington.
Recently, it has become obvious that Nord stream -2 will be implemented even despite the objections of America.
The change of power in Washington has brought its own changes to the geopolitical disputes. Russia, the EU and the United States are at different poles of international politics.
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