Denmark is the last European country to agree to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline route. This seems to have taken the last geopolitical obstacle to the full construction of the new Baltic pipeline to supply Russian countries to Western Europe. natural gas. Other required permits from other countries and authorities were already received. Various legal proceedings are still ongoing, but they can no longer block it.
Nord Stream 2 will be 1200 kilometers long and connect Russia with Germany via the Baltic Sea. The gas pipeline traverses not only Danish but also Finnish and Swedish waters. Denmark is now the last country to have issued all necessary permits. In addition, the route chosen by Nord Stream 2 was not approved, but an 8 kilometer longer route to limit the consequences for the environment and shipping.
The first gas should flow through Nord Stream 2 to the West before the end of the year. Work on the pipeline in Russian, Finnish and Swedish waters has already been completed, while those in German territory have also been largely completed.
The Russian state-owned Gazprom project is a combined project with five European energy companies, including Engie and Shell. Much has been done for a long time to construct this new gas route to the west of Europe. In some European countries the pipeline is sensitive because it would make Europe more dependent on Russian gas. But countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Austria strongly support it.
The United States also got involved in the discussion and even threatened earlier this year with sanctions against companies involved in its construction. The United States fears greater Russian influence in Western European countries. Due to the pipeline, Gazprom is no longer solely dependent on the current pipeline that runs through Ukraine, which can cut off transit to the EU countries. Russia has been in a mess with Ukraine for years.