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Germany grants permit for Nord Stream 2 constriction in its waters in January-May

Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the construction, can start work immediately

© EPA-EFE/CLEMENS BILAN

BERLIN, January 15. /TASS/. Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) has issued a permit for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in German waters until the end of May, the regulator said in a statement on Friday.

Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the construction, can start work immediately. As noted, it implies works on laying pipes in the German exclusive economic zone. The total length of the section is about 30 km.

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Nord Stream 2 construction in Danish waters to restart on January 15

In particular, the operator needed a new permit because in December 2019 the Swiss company Allseas refused to lay pipes due to possible sanctions from the United States.

The vessels of the Swiss company had permit for construction in winter months, but after the departure of the Swiss, Nord Stream 2 AG had to switch to a different type of vessels, which have an anchor positioning system. For example, the Fortuna pipe laying vessel is equipped with this system. Therefore, a new permit was required. In December, Fortuna built a 2.6 km gas pipeline in the exclusive economic zone of Germany. After that it was necessary to renew the permit.

The Nord Stream 2 project contemplates the construction of two pipeline strings with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. To date, more than 2,300 km of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has been laid (out of approximately 2,460 km), or 94% of the total length of the gas pipeline. In addition to about 30 km in German waters, another 120 km of the pipeline in Danish waters are yet to be built.

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