Nord Stream 2 Archives

Russia Offers to Ease Europe’s Gas Crisis, With Strings Attached

October 7, 2021 Mariel Alumit

With winter fast approaching and a stunning energy price surge pummeling Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin chose an opportune moment to use his country’s leverage as an oil and gas superpower. On a chaotic day […]

The Harsh Truth Behind Europe’s Energy Crisis

September 27, 2021 Mariel Alumit

Europe’s energy crunch is continuing, as gas storage volumes have shrunk to 10-year lows. A possible harsh winter could lead to severe energy shortages and possible shutdowns of large parts of the economy. While the […]

Nord Stream 2 Nears Completion

August 28, 2021 Stu Turley

A German regional court this week refused Russian energy giant Gazprom’s appeal to exclude the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from EU rules requiring gas producers to be legally separate from distributors. The judgment doesn’t affect […]

German Emissions From Electricity Rose 25% In First Half Of 2021 Due To The Lack Of Wind Power, Not Willpower

August 15, 2021 Stu Turley

German emissions from electricity generation increased in the first half of 2021 by one-quarter, or 21 million tons, according to German think tank Agora Energiewende. Gas-fired power plants increased 15%, coal power plants by 36%, and hard […]

Derek Chollet, a senior State Department policy adviser, is in Kyiv this week along with a German counterpart to inform Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the agreement’s details. Mr. Chollet is scheduled for a similar trip to Poland, which has vehemently opposed the pipeline. Word of the deal has rankled Ukrainian officials, who view the existing pipeline network in their country as a rare point of leverage against Russia in the two countries’ seven-year-old conflict. Last week, Mr. Putin delivered another in a series of polemics challenging Ukrainian sovereignty. Rendering the existing pipeline superfluous could offer Russia a freer military hand on Ukrainian territory, Ukraine advocates fear. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that Mr. Biden told Ms. Merkel last week “that we have ongoing concerns about how the project threatens European energy security, undermines Ukraine’s security and the security of our…allies and partners.” Ms. Psaki said Mr. Biden directed staffers to work jointly with German counterparts to complete an agreement. An announcement of the deal was delayed to avoid eclipsing Ms. Merkel’s farewell visit to the White House, according to officials close to the negotiations. Ms. Merkel has made the completion of the pipeline, which could occur later this year, a signal achievement marking the close of her political career, people familiar with her thinking said. —Catherine Lucey and William Mauldin in Washington contributed to this article.

U.S.-German Deal on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Expected Soon

July 20, 2021 Stu Turley

The U.S. and Germany have reached an agreement allowing the completion of a controversial Russian natural-gas pipeline, according to officials from Berlin and Washington, who expect to announce the deal as soon as Wednesday, bringing an […]

Gazprom holds back exports via Ukraine, pressing case for Nord Stream 2

July 4, 2021 Stu Turley

MOSCOW: Kremlin-controlled gas giant Gazprom has held off from booking additional capacity for gas supplies via Ukraine to meet surging demand in recent months, sending a clear sign it is waiting for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline […]

Putin Says That First Line Of Nord Stream 2 Is Now Complete -Tanks a lot

June 5, 2021 Stu Turley

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that laying the pipes for the first of two lines of the prospective Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany has now been “successfully completed.” Addressing an economic forum in […]

Merkel Sends Team to U.S. to Discuss Nord Stream, Funke Says

May 31, 2021 Stu Turley

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is sending a high-ranking negotiating team to Washington this week to discuss the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, Funke media group reported. The delegation, led by the chancellor’s foreign policy […]

We Called It – Biden under fire from Congress for waiving sanctions on Russian gas pipeline company

May 20, 2021 Stu Turley

Energy News Beat Publishers Note (ENB): We have been following the Nord Stream 2 pipeline political problems for well over a year. This Monday on the Energy News Beat Podcast we covered the political items […]

Russia is in no hurry to see the Suez Canal re-opened

March 29, 2021 Stu Turley

When the Ever Given, a 400-meter container ship, ran aground in the Suez Canal on March 23, it choked off a busy shipping lane for the global oil and gas trade. Ten percent of global seaborne oil trade, […]