Berlin, March 25 - Neftegaz.RU. The construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is on schedule, Steffen Ebert, spokesman of Nord Stream 2 for Germany, confirmed to Xinhua.
Construction work in the German waters of the Baltic Sea is almost completed since only a 16-km stretch of the pipeline remains to be built until the Danish border is reached, said Ebert.
The Danish government has yet to submit the necessary permits for the construction to proceed in its territory. If Denmark fails to grant these permits by summer 2019, an approximately 35 km longer alternative route will be followed, Ebert told Xinhua, adding that this would not delay the project.
Nord Stream 2 is to start operations in the 2nd half of 2019 and is designed to transport Russian gas to Germany through the Baltic Sea, running parallel to the older Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was completed in 2011.
Internationally, Nord Stream 2 is facing strong headwinds. During the Munich Security Conference in February, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her full support for the project and said that even during the Cold War Germany imported gas from the Soviet Union.
Ebert also pointed out that the project would be implemented on the basis of existing national permits and in full compliance with applicable international law and with the full support of financial investors.
