The German government said Thursday that it considers it «technically impossible» to make use of the second branch of Nord Stream 2 since it has also been «rendered unusable» by the explosions at the end of September that also affected Nord Stream 1.
«It is very likely that the sabotage perpetrated has had a negative impact on the two branches and that there is no longer the technical possibility of using the pipeline, at least in principle,» the German Cabinet has clarified, according to information reported by the magazine ‘Der Spiegel’.
Thus, the authorities have given an answer to the questions presented by members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), who have repeatedly demanded Berlin to allow the supply of gas through Nord Stream 2 to alleviate the energy crisis.
For the AfD, the issue has «faded away on its own» after the attacks, despite Russia’s insistence on the possibility of getting natural gas through this route.
On October 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that the country was «ready to send gas to Europe through the Nord Stream 2 branch that had escaped unscathed from the explosions» and affirmed that «the ball was in the court of the European Union».
The incident began when a sharp pressure drop was detected in one of the two pipelines of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was not in use. Later, the operator of Nord Stream 1 reported a pressure drop on its two pipelines as well. Authorities eventually discovered a total of four leaks on both pipelines.
The pipelines in question run from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea and have similar capacity. Nord Stream 2 runs for 1,230 kilometers. It has been completed and filled with gas, but no gas has ever been imported through it, pending approval of its entry into service by the competent authority in Germany, the Federal Network Agency.
Nord Stream 1 was in service until, at various stages since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supply was reduced until it was suspended because of technical problems, as justified by the Russian gas company Gazprom.
