The prospect of using a portion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline system’s assets to handle LNG is being considered by the German Ministry of Economy, which is led by former Green Party co-chairman Robert Habek, according to a Friday story in Spiegel.
According to the article, a section of the pipeline system, which is situated in German territorial waters, will be removed, separated from the remainder of the pipeline, and connected to a floating LNG terminal. Gas may be provided to the southern region of the nation through the gas pipeline, which is already connected to the German gas transmission network.
Spiegel cites the convoluted position of the highway’s owner, the Swiss Nord Stream 2 AG, as well as the requirement for several environmental licenses for operations in the Natura 2000 protected natural region as examples of the plan’s complexity.
The publication’s sources acknowledge that the seizure of the asset may trigger a retaliatory attack from Russia, “for instance, by expropriating German enterprises in Russia.”
In light of this, the Habkek ministry is looking into the feasibility of constructing a gas pipeline beside the Nord Stream 2 path. Although the possibility of a Russian response would be decreased, it would not be eliminated.
Officially, the ministry neither confirmed nor denied this information, saying that “the issue of the existing infrastructure for connection is an important location factor.”