Nord Stream Gas Pipeline – II
About :
- It is a 1,234-kilometre-long (767 mi) natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany running through the Baltic Sea.
- The construction of the pipeline started in 2011, to expand the Nord Stream 1 line and double annual capacity to 110 billion cubic metres (3.9 trillion cubic feet).
- It was completed in September 2021, but has not yet entered service.
- Planning and construction of the pipeline were mired in political controversy over fears that Russia would use it for geopolitical advantage with Europe and Ukraine.
- On 26 September 2022, Danish and Swedish authorities reported a number of explosions at pipes A and B of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and pipe A of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, with the resulting damage causing significant gas leaks.
- The European Union considers the incident to be sabotage of key European energy infrastructure.
- The Nord Stream explosions also resulted in the worst release of methane gas in human history, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 400,000 tons of methane released into the atmosphere.
- In October 2022, Russia confirmed that Pipe B of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline escaped destruction, and offered to resume gas supply to Europe (which was promptly declined by Berlin).
- Gas deliveries ceased in September 2022 following the destruction of three of the pipe lines and sanctions linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- As of February 2023, there is no conclusive evidence of who carried out the sabotage despite three separate investigations by Denmark, Germany, and Sweden.
Syllabus : Prelims + Mains; GS II – IR
