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Austria expects Nord Stream 2 to launch soon — Chancellor

According to Karl Nehammer, Europe relies on renewable energy sources, but for now it needs oil and gas

VIENNA, December 14. / TASS /. Austria continues to support the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and expects to launch it soon, said the new Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Tuesday.

During an interview with the German newspaper Welt, Nehammer was asked if the Austrian government will continue to support the pipeline." Of course," said Nehammer. He added that he expects that Nord Stream 2 will be launched soon as it was planned.

According to Nehammer, Europe relies on renewable energy sources, but for now it needs oil and gas, and it is important for it that the energy supply to the EU countries is ensured through different routes and gas pipelines. "This also applies to Austria. Nord Stream 2 is an important project that gives the European Union security of energy supply," said Nehammer.

The construction of the gas pipeline was fully completed on September 10, 2021. In order to launch the pipeline, the independent transport operator needs to receive registration. The registration is necessary for the project to comply with the EU Gas Directive. Currently, the certification has been suspended, as the operator Nord Stream 2 AG, headquartered in Switzerland, needs to register a subsidiary in Germany. Until then, it is impossible to proceed.

The Russian side has repeatedly stressed that Nord Stream 2 is an exclusively commercial project and is being implemented jointly with European partners. Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed bewilderment at the attempts of a number of countries to determine the fate of the gas pipeline using politically motivated circumstances. Russia has also repeatedly stated that it has never used energy resources as a leverage.

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