Nord Stream 2 Pipeline – UPSC

Nord Stream is an export gas pipeline which runs under the Baltic Sea carrying gas from Russia to Europe. It is currently the longest subsea pipeline.

The Nord Stream crosses the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of several countries including Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, and the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany.

The gas for Nord Steam comes mainly from the Bovanenkovo oil and gas condensate deposit in Western Siberia.

It is an under construction gas pipeline between Russia and Europe.

In 2015, Gazprom and 5 other European energy firms decided to build Nord Stream 2, valued at around $11 billion.

The 1,200 km pipeline will run from Ust-Luga in Russia to Lubmin City in Germany, and will carry 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year.

The under-construction pipeline will run along the already-completed Nord Stream 1 system, and the two together will supply an aggregate of 110 billion cubic metres of gas to Germany per year.

The pipeline falls in German and Danish territory, and all but 150 km of pipes for the project have already been laid.

US Opposition: Nord Stream 2 has drawn criticism from the US, where it is believed that the project would increase Europe’s dependence on Russia for natural gas, thus boldening its President Vladimir Putin. Currently, EU countries already rely on Russia for 40% of their gas needs.