Nord Stream 2: Twists and turns of a controversial gas pipeline
For background on the project, including arguments from proponents and opponents of the pipeline, see our factsheet.
Overview
The controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 (NS2) has become the symbol of Germany鈥檚 , which sought to build political bridges through trade and at the same time supply companies with cheap fuels. However, it drove the country into a fatal dependence on Russian oil and gas.
This dependence enabled Russia to weaponise energy supply after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which pushed Europe into a severe energy crisis.
In September 2021 Gazprom that construction of the pipeline had concluded. However, Russia's war against Ukraine and what looks to be destroying parts of both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, means chances of NS2 going into operation are effectively null. In response to the war, Germany and other members of the European Union have announced they are weaning themselves off Russian fossil fuel supplies, which makes the pipeline unnecessary.
The project鈥檚 demise came in several stages. U.S. sanctions had complicated the construction process from early January 2021, but Germany and the U.S. that would have allowed getting NS2 online. Once completed, the permit process was delayed amid an intensifying dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
On 22 February 2022, two days before Russia's invasion, chancellor Olaf Scholz announced he had ordered the economy ministry to withdraw a supply security report, which is an essential element for certification, effectively putting the process on hold. This came as a reaction to Russia's president Vladimir Putin officially recognising two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine.
The start of the war a few days later marked a turning point in relations between Germany and Russia, which made it very unlikely that the pipeline would enter operation.
Then, on 26 September 2022, several underwater explosions destroyed large parts of the Nord Stream 1 twin pipelines, and also of one section of NS2. The second line was . this was sabotage, yet it remains unclear who was responsible.
German and international media in early 2025 reported that the pipeline project could be headed for a comeback as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Financial Times that Matthias Warnig, an ex-Stasi officer in East Germany who until 2023 ran Nord Stream 2鈥檚 parent company, had reached out to the new U.S. administration through American investors for a post-sanctions deal. German tabloid Bild talks between U.S. and Russian officials.
However, the it continued its policy of independence of Russian energy deliveries, and the EU was set to present a plan in March 2025 to end Russian energy imports.
In December 2022 already, The New York Times that Russia had 鈥渜uietly taken steps to begin expensive repairs鈥, but In March 2023, news agency Reuters that the pipelines were set to be sealed up and mothballed as there are no immediate plans to repair or reactivate them, according to sources. This would most likely mean sealing the ruptured ends and putting a coating into the pipes to prevent further corrosion from seawater, Reuters wrote. The Danish Energy Agency in early 2025 the Nord Stream 2 AG a permit to conduct such works.
The pipeline was originally scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.
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Timeline
2025
17 March:
At a summit of EU energy ministers, outgoing economy minister Robert Habeck reviving the project. 鈥淭he Ukrainians are still under the aggression of Russia, so talking about the potential of Nord Stream 2 鈥 or Nord Stream 1 if it is repaired 鈥 is completely the wrong direction of discussion,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e have to support Ukraine and we are doing it.鈥 Europe had 鈥渆very reason to not trust Russia鈥 and 鈥渋t would be wise not to buy gas鈥 from the country.
2 March: Media reports that the pipeline project could be headed for a comeback as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Financial Times that Matthias Warnig, an ex-Stasi officer in East Germany who until 2023 ran Nord Stream 2鈥檚 parent company, reached out to the new U.S. administration through American investors for a post-sanctions deal. German tabloid Bild talks between U.S. and Russian officials.
2022
26 December: The New York Times that Russia had 鈥渜uietly taken steps to begin expensive repairs鈥 on the Nord Stream pipelines.
18 November: Swedish authorities the September blasts were sabotage.
26 September: Several underwater explosions destroy large parts of the Nord Stream 1 twin pipelines, and also of one string of Nord Stream 2. The second line is .
28 February: State premier of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Manuela Schwesig (SPD) the leadership of the 鈥渃limate鈥 foundation 鈥 which her government had pushed through parliament to support the construction against sanctions 鈥 to initiate the organisation鈥檚 break-up. Schwesig, who had been a staunch supporter of Nord Stream 2, says the war against Ukraine is a 鈥渢urning point鈥 for her state鈥檚 relations with Russia. Her government aims to assess whether the funds put into the foundation by Gazprom could be used for a good cause.
24 February: Russia is confident it can shrug off Germany鈥檚 decision to halt certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and believes EU efforts to diversify the bloc鈥檚 energy sources will fail, according to three people close to the Kremlin and its state-run gas monopoly Gazprom, .
23 February: The United States on the company in charge of building Nord Stream 2, expanding penalties on Moscow after it recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
22 February: German chancellor Olaf Scholz orders the country鈥檚 economy ministry to initiate steps to effectively put the certification process for the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline on hold after Russia鈥檚 president Vladimir Putin . The EU debates a sanctions package and Ukraine鈥檚 president Volodymyr Zelensky to include the halt to the pipeline as part of an 鈥渋mmediate sanctions鈥 package.
18 February: At the Munich Security Conference, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock it is 鈥渟o difficult鈥 for Germany to formulate sanctions 鈥渂ecause we are highly dependent on fossil imports from Russia.鈥 The country now needs to go for renewables, which she sees as a way to 鈥渕ake the world a bit more secure.鈥
7 February: U.S. President Joe Biden听听鈥渢here will no longer be a Nord Stream 2鈥 if Russia launches an attack on Ukraine. During the first visit of new German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington, DC at a time when the controversial pipeline鈥檚 role in the context of the Ukraine crisis is dominating the debate, Biden says 鈥渨e will bring an end to it鈥 if Russian troops cross the border. However, despite pledging unity among NATO partners regarding possible sanctions against Russia鈥檚 government, chancellor Scholz does not mention the pipeline at all during a joint press conference with Biden, merely stating that "all the steps we will take we will do together.鈥澨
5 February: Economy and climate minister Robert Habeck says that Germany must urgently reduce its dependence on Russian gas. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to improve our preparations for next winter,鈥 Habeck says in an听, adding that work on finding alternatives to Russian gas has already started. 鈥淥ur gas market is entirely deregulated,鈥 he explains. 鈥淪o far, there鈥檚 no way we can intervene at the state level. This can鈥檛 go on.鈥 Geopolitics dictates that Germany finds new sources for imports for natural gas, which he argues will be needed until the 2030s to achieve the transition to renewables and green hydrogen.
27 January: Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock says Nord Stream 2 could be part of a package of sanctions against Russia. 鈥淲e made it very clear that renewed military action against Ukraine would have massive consequences for Russia. On this basis, we are working on a strong sanctions package,鈥 . 鈥淚n the event of new aggression, we have a range of responses at our disposal, including Nord Stream 2.鈥
25 January: The British government declares the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should be abandoned if Russia launches an attack on Ukraine. In an interview with Sky News on Monday, the country鈥檚 foreign minister Liz Truss says she is 鈥渧ery clear that Nord Stream 2 should not continue in the event of an attack on Ukraine.鈥
18 January: Germany may consider halting the Nord Stream 2 project if Russia attacks Ukraine, the government has hinted. "It is clear that there will be a high price to pay and that everything will have to be discussed should there be a military intervention in Ukraine," chancellor Olaf Scholz after a meeting with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, responding to a question on the pipeline.
Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock was more direct. 鈥淲e have made it clear: If energy is used as a weapon, this will have corresponding consequences for this pipeline,鈥 she at a Moscow press conference with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
2021
17 December: Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks out against linking the operating permit for the controversial Russian-German natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 to efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis. 鈥淣ord Stream 2 is a private sector project that has been advanced to the point where a pipeline has been laid,鈥 Scholz says at a press conference with French president Emmanuel Macron after an EU summit.
14 December: Nord Stream 2 is not a suitable instrument to penalise Russia in case it attempts to invade neighbouring Ukraine, said German government sources in Berlin ahead of two days of meetings of EU leaders in Brussels. As the national and EU permit procedure for the pipeline is ongoing and would take a while, there is 鈥渘either the option of nor the need for a political decision at the moment鈥, said the sources.
12 December: Foreign minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) in the event of any new "escalation" in Ukraine. The former government had already said that "in the event of further escalation this gas pipeline could not come into service," Baerbock tells German television station ZDF.
12 December: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) as a transit route for gas into Europe, as Russian troop movements along the Ukrainian border increased pressure on the pipeline. "We will also help Ukraine be a country that will be a major source of renewable energy and the necessary production that results from that."
16 November: Germany鈥檚 Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) announces it 鈥減rovisionally suspended鈥 the certification procedure of the pipeline over legal details.
27 October: Following an analysis which forms part of the official approval procedure, Germany's economy ministry Nord Stream 2 will not endanger gas supply security in Germany or the EU. The ministry adds consultations with EU neighbouring states have been part of its analysis. The ministry says it passed its report on to Germany's grid agency, which will continue the certification process.
20 October: Green party co-leader Annalena Baerbock says Nord Stream 2 should only be granted its operating permit if it adheres to European energy law. 鈥淭he operator of Nord Stream 2 must be different from the one who is supplying the gas," she says in .
10 September: Gazprom it has finished construction of Nord Stream 2.
8 September: Gazprom plans to start flowing natural gas through the first leg of Nord Stream 2 by October 2021, . Nord Stream 2 still needs to receive technical certification and insurance, which may be challenging due to the U.S. sanctions imposed last year. The operator also needs a preliminary go-ahead from the German regulator, which is currently considering Nord Stream 2鈥檚 application for the status of an independent transmission system operator, writes Bloomberg.
7 September: The operator of the controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 announces that the project is almost complete. The last pipe segments connecting Germany and Russia through the Baltic Sea have successfully been welded onboard a construction vessel in the region, operator Nord Stream 2 AG says.
25 August: A German court to sidestep European Union rules separating production from transportation, Bloomberg reports. The Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court dismissed a bid by Gazprom, the owner of the pipeline project, to overturn the German Network Agency鈥檚 decision to impose the EU measures. The decision may delay the start of the operations of the pipeline.
18 August: Green chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock reiterates her opposition to Nord Stream 2 with the Financial Times, France鈥檚 Le Monde and Austria鈥檚 Der Standard. 鈥淓ven if construction is completed, this doesn鈥檛 automatically mean gas will flow through. The pipeline is not yet fully certified.鈥 Asked whether the Greens would deny certification, she says: 鈥淚n any case, we would do our utmost to ensure that this pipeline does not further divide Europe.鈥 One had to 鈥渟how toughness鈥 with Russia 鈥渁nd if it is made clear that this pipeline no longer has any political support, then it is questionable anyway whether there are still any European actors who want to be involved in it.鈥
10 August: Following reports from 2 July that Gazprom held off from booking additional capacity for gas supplies via Ukraine to put pressure on Nord Stream 2 completion, several media including report that western Europe鈥檚 largest gas storage Rheden in Lower Saxony 鈥 operated by Gazprom subsidiary Astora 鈥 reached its lowest level since at least 2014, with less than 9 percent. on 1 August that Gazprom had reduced gas injection into underground storage facilities in Europe. The reduced inflow of Russian gas could be connected to a fire in a gas processing plant in Russia, writes Tagesspiegel. However, analyst Kirsten Westphal Russia could be demonstrating its strength by sending less gas to Europe.
3 August: Dirk Messner, head of Germany's environment agency (UBA) says NS2 could soon be outdated for climate policy reasons. "Nord Stream 2 could quickly become something of a dinosaur among energy projects, because we want to have [net] zero emissions by 2045," .
23 July: Green Party chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock criticises the Nord Stream 2 agreement with the U.S. government. "I still think this pipeline is wrong, for climate policy reasons, but above all geostrategically," Baerbock tells the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. She says the pipeline endangers Ukraine鈥檚 security and is aimed at splitting the European Union, adding that Eastern Europeans are "rightly angry" with the German government "for unilaterally sticking to this pipeline." In order for Ukraine to become more independent of Russia, she says, it is essential "that we massively support the conversion of Ukraine's energy supply to renewable energies."
21 July: Germany and the U.S. that allows for the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. In a , the countries express determination to 鈥渉old Russia to account for its aggression and malign activities by imposing costs via sanctions and other tools.鈥 Berlin and Washington have also pledged to invest in Ukraine鈥檚 green energy infrastructure with a fund of at least one billion dollars and will aim to ensure Russian gas flow through Ukraine to continue beyond 2024.
20 July: The United States and Germany are resolving their long-standing dispute over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, sources close to the matter have said. The agreement will likely avert the continuation of the currently waived sanctions against the company behind the pipeline, Nord Stream AG, and its chief executive. Sources said the deal will include commitments by both sides to ensure increased investment in Ukraine's energy sector to compensate for any fallout from the new pipeline. "We expect those conversations to reach resolution in coming days,鈥 one of the sources said.
15 July: Angela Merkel and U.S. president Biden the pipeline during the chancellor鈥檚 trip to Washington, D.C. They agree they wouldn鈥檛 allow Russia to use the pipeline to threaten its neighbours amid a push to limit the Kremlin鈥檚 geopolitical clout, but the leaders that differences remain over the project. 鈥淢y view on Nord Stream 2 has been known for some time,鈥 Biden says. 鈥淕ood friends can disagree. By the time I became president, it was 90% completed and imposing sanctions did not seem to make any sense.鈥 Merkel says that government officials from both sides continue to talk about the issue, and also debate ways Germany and Europe could react in a situation where Russia broke with its promises. 鈥淲e鈥檒l see,鈥 adds Biden.听
13 July: Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel reassures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Germany would do everything to ensure Ukraine remains a gas transit state even after the completion of the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline. She will travel to Washington, D.C., this week to find a 鈥渃ommon position鈥 on the project in talks with President Joe Biden, said the chancellor at a press conference with the Ukrainian leader.
12 July: In light of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming visit to Washington听to meet U.S. President Joe Biden on 15 July, Andreas Kluth writes in that Nord Stream 2 is 鈥渁 stain on her otherwise expansive and nuanced legacy, and a liability to her successor." Kluth adds: 鈥淭he geopolitical threat posed by Nord Stream 2 seems blatant enough for Poland, the Baltic republics, France, the European Union and other allies, which all oppose the pipeline alongside the U.S. Nonetheless, the Germans keep burying their heads in the sand like geo-strategic ostriches.鈥
11 July: The Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be finished this summer and be operational "before the end of the year," Matthias Warnig, head of Nord Stream 2 AG, says in with newspaper Handelsblatt. "We expect the construction work to be completed by the end of August," Warnig said. "Ninety-eight percent of the pipeline has already been completed. The two percent that is still missing concerns one of the two lines. The other line is completely built." He added that gas will also flow through Ukraine in the future. Warnig dismissed reports that there were problems with the certification of the work required by the licensing authorities. "In the end, we will have a pipeline that meets all licensing requirements and international industry standards," he said.
8 July: Nord Stream 2 could face an additional hurdle in a German approval procedure, . While the dispute over the extend to which EU gas market regulations govern the pipeline is still ongoing, Nord Stream 2 AG for 鈥減recautionary鈥 certification as an independent transmission system operator to get the green light from regulator BNetzA. The economy ministry plays a key role in assessing the application, reports Tagesspiegel. The ministry has to examine whether this would endanger gas supply security in Germany or EU neighbours 鈥 and possibly even Ukraine, due to the existing with the European Union. Should this be the case, it could be 鈥渁 gateway for non-approval鈥 of the pipeline, Tagesspiegel quotes energy law expert Cornelia Ziehm. It would at least force the economy ministry to comment, she said.
2 July: Gazprom holds off from booking additional capacity for gas supplies via Ukraine, needed to meet rising demands in recent months, thereby pressing the case for Nord Stream 2 to be completed, Reuters. "This summer Gazprom has yet to purchase any capacity in the (Ukraine's) monthly auctions therefore one could see this as a strategy to push Nord Stream 2 to completion," said Nick Campbell, a director at consultancy Inspired Energy. Gas prices have exceeded 400 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic metres on the European gas hubs, reflecting Gazproms decision to refrain from using extra capacity, Sergiy Makogon, head of Ukraine's gas pipelines operator, told the news agency. "I believe, that by doing this, the Kremlin is sending a clear message: It's no use waiting for an increase in gas supplies without the commissioning of Nord Stream 2," he said.
30 June: Poland's foreign minister听Zbigniew Rau听has criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks on Nord Stream 2 as a project of "constructive interdependence" between Russia and Europe. In a guest听听for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Rau said the pipeline would lure Germany into an "imperial trap" that would severely hurt security cooperation within NATO and also jeopardise Ukraine's security as a whole. "Putin did not invest huge sums in this pipeline to miss the opportunity for using it as a political tool," Rau argued.
22 June: In a guest听听for the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is rooted in the tradition of cooperation between German and Russian companies that was key to securing peace in Europe after the Second World War. Already in 1970, the Soviet Union and Western Germany concluded long-term gas supply contracts -- "deals of the century," as Putin called them. "These had laid the groundwork for a constructive interdependence and many great follow-up projects, for example Nord Stream 2," Putin said.
13 June: In the dispute over Nord Stream 2, because of the threat of revenue losses from gas transit. "If we are offered talks on compensation, we will look into it," foreign minister Dmitri Kuleba told Die Welt. "But we will not necessarily agree to what is then proposed."
12 June: German chancellor Merkel about the pipeline after her first face-to-face meeting with U.S. president Biden. We are "on the right track", she said on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, England. She said she agreed with Biden that it was "existential and indispensable" to continue to involve Ukraine in the gas transit from Russia to Europe.
11 June: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Washington, D.C. to try to settle the transatlantic dispute between the U.S. and Germany over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, reports Handelsblatt. A meeting with president Joe Biden is scheduled for 15 July.
4 June: Russia is ready to start filling its Nord Stream 2 pipeline with gas as that first line has been finished, President Vladimir Putin told an economic forum on 4 June, . "Today... the pipelaying work of the first Nord Stream 2 line was successfully finished. Work on the second line is ongoing," Putin told the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. "Gazprom is ready to start filing Nord Stream 2 with gas."
3 June: According to TASS news agency, Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said around 100 kilometres of the pipeline are left to build, . "We hope that construction works on Nord Stream 2 will be completed by the end of this year,鈥 he said.
2 June 2021: Based on the recent constitutional court鈥檚 climate ruling, German NGO Environmental Action Germany (DUH) with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) to revoke Nord Stream 2鈥檚 construction and operating permit on climate grounds. It says the climate effects of the project have so far not been examined. It calls to do so now and halt construction until the result is available.
2 June 2021: Germany will send a high-level delegation to Washington in June as part of an effort to patch lingering rifts, including tension over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia and spying practices, .
2 June 2021: Manuela Schwesig, state premier of Mecklenburg Western-Pomerania where Nord Stream 2 lands, has reiterated her support for the project. 鈥淎 large industrial nation like Germany needs gas as another energy source for a limited period of time,鈥 . 鈥淚 say quite clearly: it is better, more cost-effective and also environmentally and climate-friendly to receive gas via the pipeline for a temporary transition instead of transporting particularly harmfully produced liquefied gas across the oceans,鈥 she added, hinting at U.S. LNG. She proposed a Russian-German hydrogen partnership for future energy cooperation among the countries.
31 May 2021: A large group of European and U.S. politicians, diplomats, researchers and civil society representatives to the German government calling for a construction moratorium for Nord Stream 2 鈥渢o allow for serious political dialogue鈥. The appeal was Center for Liberal Modernity (鈥婰ibMod), a German think tank critical of the Russian government and focussed on transatlantic issues.
20 May 2021: Chancellor Merkel to drop some of the sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. "The president has moved a bit into our direction in the context of the Nord Stream 2 conflict,鈥 Merkel told German public broadcaster WDR on Thursday, while emphasizing that the countries continue to have different views on the issue.
19 May 2021: The U.S. decide to against German company Nord Stream AG, which is behind the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and its CEO Matthias Warnig, despite the players' involvement in sanctionable actions. The Biden administration lifts the sanctions so as not to compromise the relationship with Germany, U.S. media report.
17 May 2021: The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) for the construction of a 2-kilometre relocation of the pipeline in German waters. The relocation is needed to lay the pipeline safely on the seabed during the temporary suspension of construction until the end of May, which followed a lawsuit by environmental organisation NABU.
4 May 2021: The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) temporarily suspends the permit for construction of the pipeline in German waters until the end of May, . The suspension follows a lawsuit by environmental organisation NABU.
3 May 2021:听The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU)听听against the continued construction of the pipeline. NABU demands that the听Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), which granted Nord Stream 2 a permit on 14 January 2021 to continue construction in German waters until the end of May, compensates the damage to marine ecosystems caused by the construction. The BSH previously rejected an objection from NABU and Environmental Action Germany (DUH).
15 April 2021: Germany will violate its Paris Climate Agreement obligations if it sticks to current infrastructure plans for natural gas, warns the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). The researchers say the country must rapidly exit the fossil fuel, instead of continuing its plans for new natural gas power stations, import terminals and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Natural gas should not be considered a "bridging technology" on the way to climate neutrality, the DIW adds.
14 April 2021: NGO Environmental Action Germany (DUH) files a lawsuit听against the continued construction of the pipeline. DUH says it directs the听lawsuit against the approval of the construction work in German waters, particularly during birds鈥 sensitive resting periods,听by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency听(BSH), which oversees the process. The BSH previously rejected the NGO's objection.
12 April 2021: President Joe Biden is not willing to compromise on the project and is "determined to use all available means to prevent the completion of Nord Stream 2," U.S. Berlin embassy spokesman Joseph Giordono-Scholz tells newspaper Tagesspiegel.
1 April 2021: Germany鈥檚 transatlantic coordinator Peter Beyer on the pipeline in a bid to repair transatlantic relations. Beyer says the project is a 鈥渟erious stumbling block鈥 for the restart of relations with the United States. 鈥淓uropean sovereignty must not be misunderstood or reinterpreted as a fortress Europe,鈥 he says. 鈥淪trong Europe 鈥 yes. Isolation from the USA 鈥 no.鈥
1 April 2021: Germany鈥檚 Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), which granted Nord Stream 2 a permit for a short period in German waters on 14 January 2021, Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and Environmental Action Germany (DUH). The BSH says that, based on the impact assessment of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, the relocation of the Fortuna vessel is expected to cause 鈥渘o significant impacts on the marine environment or the conservation objectives of the Pomeranian Bay Bird Sanctuary.鈥 Shortly after, DUH against the BSH. The environmental organisation argues that the maritime organisation did not sufficiently examine nature conservation and climate impacts when approving the pipeline construction.
26 March 2021: The NGO Environmental Action Germany (DUH) against the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the Nord Stream 2 pipeline would land. DUH wants access to information concerning the Foundation for Climate and Environmental Protection, an entity the state set up to support completion of the pipeline. But the state is keeping details about the foundation from the public, says DUH. 鈥淚n order to protect Nord Stream 2, the state government is even willing to disregard legally guaranteed information rights,鈥 says DUH director Sascha M眉ller-Kraenner.
18 March: The Biden administration reiterates the project is a 鈥渂ad deal鈥 for Germany, Ukraine and Central and Eastern European countries, and a 鈥済eopolitical project intended to divide Europe and weaken European energy security.鈥 , U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is committed to complying with sanctions imposed by Congress. 鈥淭he Department reiterates its warning that any entity involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline risks U.S. sanctions and should immediately abandon work on the pipeline.鈥
1 March 2021: The 鈥渃limate鈥 foundation that was set up by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in an effort to complete the construction of the pipeline is a matter for the state itself, the German government says in asked by the Green Party. The party inquired about the government鈥檚 stance on the establishment of the foundation, arguing the foundation is only there to facilitate the completion of the controversial pipeline.
25 February: Oil and gas company Wintershall Dea limits investments in Nord Stream 2, according to the company鈥檚 2020 annual report. The company limited its original loan of up to 950 million euros for the gas pipeline to 730 million euros, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . "Further disbursements are not planned,鈥 the report said. 听
24 February: Researchers Brick Medak and Felix Heilmann of think tank E3G to take the reins on Nord Stream 2, agree a moratorium on the construction and organise a summit with key actors Russia, the U.S., Ukraine, eastern European countries, the European Commission, the companies involved and civil society. 鈥淣ow is the time for diplomacy,鈥 they write in an op-ed in Tagesspiegel Background. Parallel to the summit, an international panel of experts should be commissioned to shed light on the energy and climate policy background of the pipeline in a study, they say.
23 February: Eighteen European companies have withdrawn or are in the process of following U.S. sanctions threats, according to a U.S. state department report for Congress submitted on Friday (19 February). "This shows that the legislative goals and our actions have been successful," U.S. state department spokesman Ned Price said. "We continue to monitor companies involved in potentially sanctionable acts."
22 February 2021: Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau and Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba听, as it damages the 鈥渟trong, vibrant and resilient West鈥, the ministers write in an opinion piece published by Politico. The United States can play an important role in preventing the completion of the pipeline, the ministers say.
20 February 2021: The Biden administration听听for violating U.S. sanctions on the construction of the pipeline, Bloomberg reports. Like in the first round, the U.S. sanctions the ship Fortuna. Not sanctioning German entities involved can be seen as reflecting reported decisions by the new administration not to challenge Germany over its support for the pipeline, in an effort not to antagonise a key European ally.
19 February 2021: The U.S. might hold off on sanctioning German companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 project, as the Biden administration seeks to halt the project without antagonizing a close European ally, Bloomberg . It would instead put only a small number of Russia-linked entities on the list.
16 February 2021: The Biden administration with Berlin on Nord Stream 2, according to German media sources. However, it remains unclear whether Biden would even consider doing so in the face of clear bipartisan opposition in the U.S. Congress. A deal could involve waiving sanctions in exchange for an agreement that Germany would stop future natural gas deliveries through the pipeline, for example in case Russia puts pressure on Ukraine.
9 February 2021: German environmental NGO Umwelthilfe written by German finance minister Olaf Scholz to former U.S. counterpart Steven Mnuchin. In the letter, dated 7 August 2020 and , Germany offers financial support for German liquid natural gas (LNG) importers to enable them to directly import U.S. LNG in a bid to prevent the U.S. from imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.听
9 February 2021: German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier by pointing at the "bigger picture", including Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during WWII, in with German newspaper Rheinische Post. The presidents' comments leave Ukraine angry as they ignore the Ukrainian victims of the war. The Ukrainian ambassador says the president's stance was met with "surprise and indignation" in Kyiv.
6 February 2021: The construction of the pipeline with the Russian vessel Fortuna despite U.S. sanctions.
1 February 2021: France in light of the arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
21 January 2021: The European Parliament after the arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. On the same day, Merkel reaffirms her support for Nord Stream 2, despite growing opposition in Germany and the EU. 鈥淢y basic attitude has not yet changed to the point where I say the project should not exist,鈥 Merkel says at a press conference in Berlin.
19 January 2021: The U.S. announces sanctions for the first time 鈥 on the Russian pipe laying vessel Fortuna. The German government says it 鈥渘otes鈥 the decision 鈥渨ith regret.鈥 Previously, there had only been a threat of sanctions.
15 January 2021: Nord Stream 2 receives a renewed construction permit from Germany鈥檚 Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) for a short stretch in German waters after the original permit had run out. Rresearchers from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) question whether Germany needs the pipeline for its natural gas supply.
6 January 2021: The parliament of the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the Nord Stream 2 pipeline would land, sets up a 鈥渃limate鈥 foundation in an effort to circumvent the threat of U.S. sanctions. To justify its purpose of finalising Nord Stream 2, the pipeline is highlighted as a special contribution to energy security and a source of natural gas, the energy transition鈥檚 "bridging technology.鈥 Environmentalists criticise the plans and say they will fuel the climate crisis. German political analyst Thomas O'Donnell of the Hertie School of Governance says the plan is unlikely to work, as 鈥渘o company [鈥 will sell equipment to this foundation.鈥
1 January 2021: The U.S. Congress against companies involved in the construction of the pipeline.
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2020
28 December 2020: The Russian pipe laying vessel , indicating that the construction in German waters may have been completed.听
11 December 2020: The pipeline鈥檚 construction , which completes a short 2.6 km stretch in German waters.
30 November 2020: Certification company DNV-GL suspends certification work for vessels involved in the pipeline project citing possible sanctions under the Protecting Europe's Energy Security听Act () as the reason.
23 November 2020: The U.S. increases pressure on people and companies associated with the construction of the pipeline and its leaders make several direct phone calls. "We are making these calls to warn them and give them time to get out," said a U.S. administration representative.
4 September 2020: Several members of the European Parliament to "do whatever they can to stop the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline now."
3 September 2020: German politicians call for halt to the Nord Stream 2 project following the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. Norbert R枚ttgen, a lawmaker with German chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), calls for a 鈥渃lear European response鈥 and says 鈥渄iplomatic rituals鈥 would no longer suffice as a reaction to Russia鈥檚 鈥渋nhumane politics.鈥
28 August 2020: The poisoning of Alexei Navalny and the completion of the natural gas pipeline are 鈥渟eparate issues,鈥 and linking them would 鈥渘ot be appropriate,鈥 German chancellor Angela Merkel says during her annual press conference in Berlin. Navalny was treated a hospital in Germany earlier in the month after being poisoned in Russia.听
12 August 2020: Utility company Uniper, one of the investors in the Nord Stream 2 project, publishes a report saying the pipeline could be delayed or even fail altogether due to the threat of U.S. sanctions.
7 August 2020: Three Republican senators threaten that the U.S. will impose "crushing legal and economic sanctions" on the port of Sassnitz on the German Baltic Sea, a key hub for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
5 August 2020: Environmental Action Germany (DUH) says it is suing to stop Nord Stream 2 from going into operation over methane leakage concerns.
30 July 2020: The companies involved in Nord Stream 2 call for political support against the possibility of U.S. sanctions.
15 July 2020: The U.S. to ditch Nord Stream 2. It is meant as a 鈥渃lear warning鈥 to companies that aiding the project would not be tolerated by Washington. 鈥淕et out now, or risk the consequences,鈥 secretary of state Mike Pompeo said.
18 June 2020: All parties in the German parliament reject the economic sanctions threatened by the U.S. In a released by parliament's economy and energy committee, the MPs said that "there has been solid cross-party unanimity that these extraterritorial sanctions are in violation of international law and cannot be accepted."
8 June 2020: German officials condemn U.S. plans to expand NS2 sanctions, shortly after several U.S. senators, including Ted Cruz (Republican) and Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat) presented a bill that would expand existing sanctions and penalise all companies involved in the project.听
May 2020: Russia defies threats from the U.S. and deploys a new vessel to finish the construction of Nord Stream 2. The vessel, Akademik Cherskiy, replaces a ship provided by Swiss company Allseas, which was withdrawn from the construction in December 2019 following U.S. threats.
19 February 2020: German economy minister Peter Altmaier criticises the Nord Stream 2 sanctions and says the importance of Russian gas for Germany is set to grow further amid the German energy transition. Altmaier says he regrets the decision by the U.S. to impose sanctions and stresses that Germany is going to "need more natural gas, not less" as it phases out coal-fired power production over the next years.
11 January 2020: Nord Stream 2 could be finished by the end of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021, Russian president Vladimir Putin says during a , following a meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow.
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2019
30 December 2019: Russian and Ukrainian companies safeguarding Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine.
21 December 2019: The Swiss offshore contractor , anticipating the enactment of the U.S. sanctions as President Donald Trump signs legislation. The move effectively halts construction for about a year.
19 December 2019: German chancellor Angela Merkel criticises the U.S. sanctions to be imposed on companies working on Nord Stream 2, shortly after the relevant legislation was approved by the U.S. Senate. 鈥淲e are opposed to extraterritorial sanctions,鈥 Merkel said during question time in the national parliament.
8 February 2019: EU member states agree to a last-ditch deal struck by France and Germany that introduces tougher requirements for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but does not endanger the project as a whole.
January 2019: The U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, of Nord Stream 2, urging them to stop working on the project and threatening them with the possibility of sanctions.
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2018
4 December 2018: German foreign minister Heiko Maas says Germany will not withdraw its political support for Nord Stream 2, despite tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
14 November 2018: The U.S. ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, threatens sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and says the U.S. has 鈥渘ot deployed the full set of tools yet鈥 to thwart the completion of the pipeline.
24 October 2018: Polish president Andrzej Duda calls for a stop to Nord Stream 2 during a visit to Germany, arguing that it would upset the 鈥渆nergy balance.鈥
19 September 2018: Germany says it will choose a location for its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal by the end of the year as a gesture to the U.S., which wants to ship more gas to Europe. (By February 2021, there was still no final investment decision on a domestic German LNG terminal)
30 August 2018: Construction of Nord Stream 2 听
21 August 2018: Russia says it is ready to defy 鈥渋llegal鈥 U.S. sanctions against Nord Stream 2, as the U.S. administration reiterates its threat to impose sanctions on companies involved in the project.听
18 August 2018: Russian President Vladimir Putin and German chancellor Angela Merkel meet near Berlin to discuss issues surrounding Nord Stream 2, including the possible disadvantages for Ukraine. Merkel reiterates that 鈥淯kraine has to play a role also with Nord Stream 2 in place.鈥
17 July 2018: Ministerial discussions between Ukraine, Russia and the EU regarding the future delivery of Russian gas to Western Europe via Nord Stream 2 begin in Berlin.
11 July 2018: US president Donald Trump lashes out at Nord Stream 2 and says Germany is 鈥渢otally controlled by鈥 and 鈥渃aptive of鈥 Russia, as the natural gas pipeline will increase Germany鈥檚 reliance on Russian energy resources.听
18 May 2018: Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko says the Nord Stream 2 project would empower Moscow to 鈥渁ttack our common values鈥 and the pipeline would be 鈥渁 tragic historic mistake.鈥
15 May 2018: German economy and energy minister Peter Altmaier calls on Russia to guarantee the continued transmission of natural gas via Ukraine after the completion of Nord Stream 2.
11 April 2018: German chancellor Merkel says that Ukraine must not be excluded from Nord Stream 2, thereby intervening in the dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
28 March 2018: With the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the last German authority approves the construction and operation of Nord Stream 2.
31 January 2018: Germany for construction and operation in German waters and landfall areas near Lubmin.
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2017
15 December 2017: German authorities issue the first partial permit for Nord Stream 2 construction in the Baltic Sea.
25 April 2017: To find an alternative way to get the project going, Uniper, Wintershall, ENGIE, OMV and Royal Dutch Shell sign a financing agreement with Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary of Gazprom responsible for the development of the Nord Stream 2 project.
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2016
12 August 2016: Gazprom鈥檚 partners ENGIE, Gazprom, OMV, Shell, Uniper and Wintershall from the Polish competition authority for Nord Stream 2. Gazprom says the withdrawal will not affect the construction of the pipeline.
7 March 2016: Eight EU leaders sign a letter citing geopolitical reasons.
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2015
June 2015: Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, E.ON, OMV and ENGIE to build Nord Stream 2.
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