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Norwegian company DNV GL refused to certify the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline upon completion of its construction following new US sanctions on the project.
RBC writes about this. Without a certificate of conformity, the facility being built by the Gazprom subsidiary will not be able to start operating.
The company’s press service announced that all activities to inspect the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline system will be canceled while the sanctions are in place.
“We are implementing a plan to phase out our support for the project,” the statement read, the Russian newspaper writes.
Under the US sanctions, which came into effect on January 1 after the approval of the defense budget in the US Congress, foreign companies are prohibited from providing testing, inspection and certification services for the pipeline. specified. If they do not leave the project within 30 days, they will also be subject to sanctions.
DNV GL has certified the Nord Stream gas pipeline annually since 2012 and should provide the same services to Nord Stream 2. The certification is necessary to minimize the project’s risks to people’s lives, property and the environment.
What is known about the Russian gas pipeline?
Nord Stream 2 will avoid transit states (Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and other Eastern European countries) through the exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.
The project is estimated at 9.5 billion euros. It is being implemented by Gazprom in alliance with the European companies Engie, Uniper, OMV, Shell, Wintershall. They pledged to finance Nord Stream 2 in total by 50%, that is, at € 950 million each. Gazprom will provide the second half of the funds: 4.75 billion euros.
Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic States and the United States criticize the project. In his view, the EU may become dependent on Russian gas. Ukraine also does not want to lose its role as a gas transit country. In this case, you will lose 3 billion in annual revenue. Berlin is committed to guaranteeing transit through Ukraine even after the construction of the gas pipeline.
The main obstacle to completion of construction is US sanctions.
Germany is reluctant to stop the project. The United States asked Berlin to freeze construction of the pipeline, but the German Economy Ministry said those extraterritorial sanctions from Washington were inappropriate.
Earlier, OBOZREVATEL announced that the United States can completely stop Nord Stream 2, which is 95% built. Previously, politicians in Germany expected new US President Joe Biden to restore the “friendly course” of President Barack Obama. However, the situation unfolds in a completely different scenario.
