Expert Safonova: Nord Stream pipes can be used for any new project News

Earlier it became known that Germany wanted to use the pipelines left after the construction of Nord Stream 2 to connect an LNG terminal near the island of Rügen to the community of Lubmin in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. German publication Welt am Sonntag reported that German authorities were negotiating the purchase of more than three thousand pipes left over from the construction of the pipeline with Nord Stream operator Nord Stream 2 AG. However, the German Ministry of Economics did not comment on this information.The German side does not exclude that the planned agreement becomes complicated from a legal point of view, since the Swiss company Nord Stream 2 is still owned by the sanctioned Gazprom.Tamara Safonova recalled that Nord Stream AG is owned by five companies: Gazprom International Projects with a 51% share, as well as Wintershall Dea AG, PEG Infrastruktur AG (E.ON), NV Nederlandse Gasunie and ENGIE. Pipelines are a tangible asset that can be used for any new gas pipeline project.”If Germany officially refuses to continue to use the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the pipes, provided they are in good condition, can be dismantled and used for any new gas pipeline project,” said the expert.Safonova also recalled that from January 1, 2023, oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline to Germany were stopped, and from February 25 to Poland. “Thus, the current authorities in Germany and Poland oppose any direct business relationship with Russia in the energy sector. But such euphoria of abandoning Russian hydrocarbons may not last long: these countries be overwhelmed by a relevant energy crisis,” she concluded. .