June 28, 2019 | Zug, Switzerland | Nord Stream 2 has withdrawn its application for the route through Danish territorial waters south of Bornholm, thus terminating a more than 2-year lasting procedure. A formal notice letter was handed to the Danish Energy Agency today. “We felt obliged to take this step because in more than two years since we filed this application, the former Danish government has not given any indication of coming to a decision”, explained Matthias Warnig, CEO of Nord Stream 2. “But both Nord Stream 2 and our investors need legal certainty and protection of legitimate expectations, which means a transparent and predictable decision-making process, especially against the backdrop of the advanced construction progress in the waters of the four other countries through which the pipeline stretches.”

The procedure for handling the application for the route north-west of Bornholm has been completed and shown that all technical and environmental prerequisites can be fulfilled, and a consent to the route as envisaged by UNCLOS1982 can be granted. The application for south-east of Bornholm is still being processed, but the public consultations recently held have also demonstrated no significant environmental and technical concerns. Therefore, Nord Stream 2’s focus is now on these two routes. Nord Stream 2 will continue to work constructively with the Danish authorities to ensure the timely consent for a route on the continental shelf.