Nord Stream 2 completes Finnish section
The 374-km section of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline running through Finland has been finished, Russia's president Vladimir Putin announced on August 21. “I can inform you that construction of the pipeline in the Finnish section, in the Finnish exclusive economic zone, was completed,” he said at a press conference with Finland’s president Sauli Niinisto.
The Russian leader went on to thank Finland for its “pragmatic approach” in backing the project, which aims to flow up to 55bn m3/year of gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany. Nord Stream 2's total length will be 1,800 km, running through Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish and German waters. The operator, Gazprom, is still waiting for the go-ahead to lay the line through Danish waters.
Putin also reiterated Moscow’s position that US opposition to the pipeline is commercial not political, suggesting Washington saw Nord Stream 2 as a threat to US LNG. US lawmakers are due to decide whether to impose sanctions on companies and individuals involved in Nord Stream 2’s development.