Second line of Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be filled with gas in December – Putin

Russia is ready to start supplying gas to Europe via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as soon as it receives the appropriate permission from the German regulator, President Vladimir Putin said.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday, he said technical works on filling the second string of the pipeline with gas would be completed by the middle or end of December. “The first pipe of Nord Stream 2 has been already filled with gas. If tomorrow the German regulator gives permission for the supply, then the next day the deliveries will start, 17.5 billion cubic meters.” 

In total, the pipeline will be delivering 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, Putin said. “Considering that the gas shortage on the European market, according to our calculations, will amount to 70 billion cubic meters, 55 billion cubic meters is a good volume,” he said.

The Russian president also noted that American and Middle Eastern companies reduced gas supplies to Europe in 2021, while Russia’s Gazprom increased gas supplies to non-Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS) countries by 8.7%, or 11 billion cubic meters.

The Nord Stream 2 project is still awaiting EU clearance to start gas deliveries to Europe. It consists of two pipelines designed to carry gasfrom the Siberian gas fields in Russia across the Baltic Sea to Germany. The project has hit numerous roadblocks, including opposition from some Eastern European countries and US sanctions.

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