The operator of Nord Stream 2, Nord Stream 2 AG, has applied for an immediate permit to build a gas pipeline in German waters. This was reported by the radio station NDR, reports TASS.
The Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography (BSH) has confirmed that the operator has requested permission. They added that they were considering the application, but did not say when a decision would be made.
Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Currently, the facility is 95 percent complete, and its construction cost is estimated at $ 11 billion.
The gas pipeline was supposed to be commissioned at the end of 2019. However, the completion of construction had to be postponed due to US sanctions. Construction of the facility is being obstructed in Washington as American liquefied natural gas (LNG) competes with Russian pipeline fuel for the European market. Russia, meanwhile, promises to complete the construction of the facility. Gazprom does not give exact dates, because they depend on many factors, including the weather.