Nord Stream1 Hits Record in 2017
The Nord Stream pipeline (NS1) transited 51bn m3 in 2017, or 93% of its nominal annual capacity, operator Nord Stream said January 16. The lifting of restrictions on capacity in Opal, the German onshore part of the route, allowed higher flows in the month of January and then for all the second half of the year.
NS1’s first 27.5bn m³/yr pipeline was inaugurated in November 2011 and the second became operational 11 months later.
Russian Gazprom plans to construct the NS2 and has concluded all the contracts for materials, equipment and services that will be needed for as much as NS2 export capacity at 55bn m³/yr.
Gazprom hit an export record to EU, including Turkey, last year by increasing overall deliveries by 8.1% to 193.9bn m3.
The 1,224-km NS1 stretches from the Baltic Sea shore of Vyborg, north of St Petersburg in Russia, to Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany. Upon arrival in Germany, the gas is further transferred to neighbouring countries via the connecting pipelines NEL and Opal.
Annual flows through NS1 (bn m³/yr)
(Source: Nord Stream)
As of end-2017, NS1 has shipped 205.3bn m³ to the European Union.
Nord Stream AG is a joint venture established for the planning, construction and operation of the Nord Stream pipelines. Russian giant Gazprom holds a 51% stake in the joint venture. The German companies BASF Wintershall and PEG Infrastruktur (a Uniper subsidiary) hold 15.5% each, and the Dutch gas infrastructure company Gasunie, along with the leading French energy provider Engie each hold a 9% stake.