Berlin If the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2 were not put into operation for a long time, the operators would have to develop a plan for dealing with the steel pipes on the seabed. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, this regulation is part of the ancillary provisions for the pipeline permit.
According to the Mecklenburg-West Pomeranian Ministry, the ancillary provisions on the pipeline state: “If the final decommissioning is foreseeable, the project developer must develop a concept for handling the pipeline after decommissioning, which takes into account environmental, technical and legal aspects.” According to the information “to be handed over to the competent authority for a final decision”.
The future of the controversial pipeline is more uncertain than ever. A spokesman for the US State Department said on Wednesday evening in Washington: “Nord Stream 2 is off the table.” US President Joe Biden had previously imposed sanctions on the operating company.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had already decided on Tuesday to stop the certification process for the pipeline at the Federal Network Agency. Commissioning is therefore unlikely for the time being.
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The pipeline is complete, both pipelines of the double strand are filled with natural gas. Nord Stream 2 consists of around 200,000 steel pipes, each twelve meters long and weighing 24 tons.
Operation theoretically conceivable
In theory, commissioning would also be conceivable without certification by the network agency. Although it would represent a violation of applicable law, this violation could only be punished with a one-time fine of up to one million euros. Compared to the estimated cost of building the pipeline of over ten billion euros, the amount would not be significant.
What the ancillary provision means, which obliges Nord Stream 2 AG to develop a concept for handling the pipeline after it has been shut down, initially remained unclear. According to an initial assessment, an obligation to dismantle cannot be derived from this, said an administrative lawyer who did not want to be quoted.
More: US imposes sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG