Gazprom plans to start using the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline this year

The Russian energy company Gazprom plans to start transporting gas through the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline later this year, as soon as the project is completed, the company announced on Thursday.

Gazprom plans to pump 5.6 billion cubic meters of Russian gas through the controversial pipeline to Germany, which is almost finished.

The pipeline is controversial as it will bypass Ukraine, which relies on revenue from gas transit.

Washington also criticized the project as Germany’s increasing dependence on Moscow.

The laying of the pipes should be completed by the end of August, the company had previously announced. It has not yet been determined when operations will start.
According to Russian news agency Interfax, gas prices fell after Gazprom’s announcement.

Nord Stream 2 runs from Vyborg in Russia through the Baltic Sea to Lubmin near Greifswald in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

According to Gazprom, 33.7 billion cubic meters of gas were pumped through the Nord Stream pipeline in the first seven months of the year, an increase compared to the same period last year.

However, 2020 was a record year with a total of 59.3 billion cubic meters of gas deliveries.

Once completed, the new pipeline will transport 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia to Germany per year.