The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) has authorized the use of Russian ships in order to continue the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
The $11-billion pipeline would directly connect Russia — currently the EU’s main supplier of crude oil, natural gas, and fossil fuels — with Germany, bypassing the traditional gas transit corridor through Ukraine. Critics say it would increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas, while depriving Ukraine of more than 2% of its gross domestic product, which it earns through transit fees.
Despite the United States’ attempts to halt the pipeline’s construction through sanctions and threats of new ones, several European states are actively continuing to push for the completion of Nord Stream 2.
Denmark’s decision plays an important role in the project. It was the last country on the pipeline route that had to issue a permit for construction.
“It is a purely administrative decision. In accordance with the Continental Shelf Act the Danish Energy Agency in October last year granted permission to construct Nord Stream 2 on the basis of an environmental and safety assessment, including shipping,” Ture Falbe-Hansen, DEA’s press secretary, said.
“On June 5, Nord Stream 2 AG requested the Danish Energy Agency to be able to use anchoring pipe-laying vessels, either independently or in combination with self-positioning pipe-laying vessels, as this was not covered by the permit. We have assessed that it is safe from an environmental and safety perspective as the remaining part of the pipelines have passed the area where bottom trawling, anchoring, and seabed intervention is discouraged because of the risk of dumped warfare agents.”
Led by Gazprom, a Russian energy company majority-owned by the Russian government, Nord Stream 2 has faced stiff opposition from Ukraine and Poland. When the U.S. government announced it would impose sanctions on companies involved in the pipeline’s construction, it brought work on Nord Stream 2 to an abrupt halt. Some experts believed that the pipeline could not be finished due to the sanctions.
Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected to remove a sentence that stated Denmark could receive transit taxes from Nord Stream 2. The Danish Energy Agency says it will not receive transit taxes.
