Nord stream 2

  • U.S. ramped up pressure on the Nord stream 2 project with new sanctions.
  • The U.S. State Department placed sanctions on the pipelaying vessel Fortuna, that was slated to work on the project
  • Some companies have also walked away from the project.

NORD STREAM 2
  • Nord Stream 2 is a 1200 km pipeline that is under construction from Russia to Germany and via Baltic Sea. 
  • It is still under construction and is the reason for quite some tensions between Russia and Germany. 
  • This would begin from Russia's Ust Luga and would continue till Greifswald in Germany.
  • It will double the amount of gas being funneled through the Baltics to 110 billion cubic meters per year.
  • Nord Stream 1 was inaugurated on November 8, 2011, by Angela Merkel and Dmitry Medvedev. 
  • It is called North Transgas and North European Gas Pipeline. 

OPPOSITION

  • The counterparts of Russia like the USA and the eastern neighbours of Germany like Poland, the Czech Republic have criticised the move saying a dependence can pose threat to future generations. 
  • The pipeline would be a good medium for Russia to increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea and also to transmit military information across the EU. 
  • Ukraine’s strategic importance would be at risk as the pipeline running through it would become redundant. 
  • Estonia, Poland and Latvia would also become economically redundant due to the bigger functional pipelines. 
  • US would lose its market in the EU due to the presence of the Russian gas pipeline. 

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