German authorities fully approve Nord Stream 2 pipeline

With the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the last German authority has approved the construction and operation of the contentious Russian-German Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. The interests of shipping and the maritime environment do not stand in the way of building the 31 km stretch of the pipeline in Germany’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), said the BSH. Nord Stream 2 AG welcomed the approval and said that construction will start as planned in 2018. The Stralsund Mining Authority had previously approved the construction and operation in German territorial waters and the landfall area. Permits by Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Russia are still outstanding, said Nord Stream 2. The pipeline will largely run parallel to the existing Nord Stream pipeline, and is expected to come into service in late 2019.

Find the BSH press release in German here, and the Nord Stream 2 press release in English here.

For background, read the news digest entry Nord Stream 2: green light for 55-kilometre section in German territorial waters and the CLEW factsheet Germany’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.