January 31, 2018

Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary of Gazprom and the operator of the Nord Stream 2 project, has received the construction and operation permit for the planned pipeline in German territorial waters and the landfall area in Lubmin, near Greifswald.

Nord Stream 2 AG said on Wednesday that the Stralsund Mining Authority issued the approval for this 55-kilometer-long section of the pipeline in accordance with the Energy Industry Act.

Jens Lange, permitting manager for Germany at Nord Stream 2 AG, said: “This permit is the result of extensive planning and consultation process. Nord Stream 2 is aware of its responsibility towards this sensitive natural habitat and has taken this into account in the planning phase.

“In addition to the environment, these considerations also include the interests of other parties concerned, such as the shipping and tourism industries.”

In early November 2017, Nord Stream 2 received the Stralsund Mining Authority’s approval of mining activities for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the area of the German continental shelf. This is a necessary precondition for the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) to issue its permit for the German EEZ, which is expected in the first quarter of 2018.

According to Nord Stream 2, the national permitting procedures in the other four countries along the route – Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark – are also proceeding as planned. The company said that it fulfilled all requirements and expected the permits to be issued in time for the scheduled start of construction in 2018.

Also, the adoption of new legislation in Denmark meant that the country could prohibit the construction of the pipeline in its territorial waters. Route alternatives are being developed for this scenario.

Nord Stream 2 has already awarded contracts for a total investment volume of approximately 4.7 billion euros ($5.85 billion). This includes all major contracts such as pipe production, logistics, pipelay vessels, and large components. Over 70 percent of the approximately 200,000 required pipes have been produced, with about one-third being ready for pipelay in storage yards at various locations along the Baltic Sea coast.

In recent news, DeepOcean was awarded a contract last week to carry out ploughing operations on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Earlier this month, inspection services company Halfwave won a contract to design and build in-line inspection tools for the pipeline.

Gazprom recently said the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was on course to be completed in 2019. The two 1,200-km Nord Stream 2 pipelines will mostly follow the route of the existing Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea – from the coast of Russia to Greifswald on Germany’s northern coast. The project will have the capacity to transport up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia to Europe, connecting with pipelines within the European Union for onwards transmission.

Offshore Energy Today Staff