The Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea will not be repaired or reactivated in the foreseeable future, according to sources close to the project. Nord Stream 1 and 2, each consisting of two pipelines, were built by the Russian company Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year to Germany. Three of the pipes were ruptured by explosions in September, while one of the Nord Stream 2 pipes remained intact. Rising tensions between Russia and the West over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had already paralyzed Nord Stream 1 and prevented its twin, criticized by Washington and Kiev for increasing Germany’s dependence on Russia, from coming online. Although it is technically possible to repair broken lines, Moscow does not see any chance that relations with the West will improve sufficiently in the foreseeable future to make the pipelines necessary.
Options for stakeholders
Stakeholders are considering conserving the pipelines, most likely by sealing the ruptured ends and putting a coating in the pipes to prevent further corrosion from seawater. If the U.S. seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG) that Europe uses to offset some of its Russian supplies were to become significantly more expensive, Europe might again be willing to buy more from Russia.
Ongoing investigations
Moscow claimed, without providing evidence, that the West was behind the explosions. The investigations conducted by Denmark, Germany and Sweden are not yet complete. Nord Stream 1 had been inactive anyway since late August, when it was shut down for maintenance, but never restarted as Russia and the West fought over the maintenance of a pumping turbine amid Western sanctions.
The freezing of the Nord Stream 2 project
The similarly sized Nord Stream 2 was completed in September 2021 as tensions with Russia rose and encountered problems as German regulators refused to certify it. Berlin then froze the project a few days before Moscow sent its armed forces into Ukraine on February 24 last year. Poland has also stopped buying Russian gas.
In sum, the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea will not be used in the near future due to geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West.
