German Regulator Has Extended Permission for Building Nord Stream 2

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The German Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography on Friday extended the permit for the construction of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline until the end of May. According to a statement on the regulator's website, the pipeline operator may begin construction work immediately. Earlier, Bloomberg reported that the operator expects to complete the construction of the gas pipeline by June, despite the US sanctions. Nord Stream 2 is supposed to deliver Russian gas for export to Germany, bypassing Ukraine along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. A number of EU countries and the United States believe that the project will give Moscow the opportunity to increase pressure on the EU and Ukraine, whose economy is significantly affected by gas transit. Participants in the construction are subject to US sanctions. They also threaten companies that provide indirect support to builders, such as insurers. Because of this, construction stopped in December 2019. At that time, about 160 kilometers of the 1230 line remained to be laid. A year later, pipe-laying continued, now all countries directly related to the project have issued a construction permit. On January 15, the pipeline operator told the Handelsblatt newspaper that the completion work in Danish waters was again postponed. The day before, the company announced that work would begin on Friday, but did not name a new date. A company spokesman now says pipe-laying in Danish waters could resume in late January or early February. On January 1, the U.S. Senate overrode President Trump's veto and voted to pass the FY2021 defense budget. It provides for a new extension of sanctions. A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti on January 13 that Moscow remains confident that the pipeline will be completed. The Kremlin denies the political part of the project and says that it has only economic significance, and the sanctions against it are unfair competition. In an interview with Handelsblatt, adviser to US President-elect Joe Biden, Nicholas Burns, proposed suspending sanctions against pipeline builders and construction so that the new administration could negotiate with Germany and the countries involved.