The Bundestag demanded that Nord Stream be repaired: it will take up to a year

Members of the right-wing Bundestag party Alternative for Germany (AfD) called on the German government to immediately begin studying the possibility of restoring and launching the undermined Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. According to parliamentarians, last year’s attack on these raw material routes caused significant industrial damage and even led to the deindustrialization of the country’s economy. MK learned from Russian experts how realistic it is today to restore damaged sections of gas pipelines.

Gas pipelines passing through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Europe were blown up in September last year. By that time, Nord Stream 1 had already operated for more than ten years, and Nord Stream 2 was fully completed and ready for operation.

Western states, including potential buyers of the gas, have launched national investigations into the explosions, but have not shared the results of the investigation or details of the evidence found.

Until recently, many officials of European countries openly said that these gas projects were finally “buried.” Therefore, the statement of the AfD deputies actually sounded like a bolt from the blue, since it became almost the first attempt by politicians from the Old World to stand up for Russian pipelines. According to the General Director of the Institute of National Energy, Sergei Pravosudov, it is too early for Russia to rejoice at the support of Nord Streams, but a positive impetus for the revival of gas routes has already been given.

– Gas pipelines have been lying inoperative at the bottom of the Baltic Sea for more than a year. How possible is their restoration?

– After the explosions, plugs were installed on both gas pipelines to prevent sea water from entering the pipeline system, and the conservation itself was completed in the spring of this year. However, there is reason to believe that sea water has already filled a significant part of all three exploded lines. Apparently, first you need to understand how to pump it out now and how much salt water has damaged the inner surface of the pipes. After this, you will have to determine the number of pipes that need to be replaced.

– So, resuscitation of projects after a technical analysis of the condition of pipelines is quite feasible?

– On the one hand, Russian representatives are not considering measures to dismantle the Nord Streams, apparently considering this option to be simply economically unprofitable. At the same time, since the gas pipelines have already been built, there is no reason to refuse to carry out repair work. Moreover, German parliamentarians are already openly giving their officials, as well as Moscow, signals about the need to speed up this process.

Voters are increasingly favoring the AfD, which recently became the second most popular party in the country for the first time. This is not surprising, since the restoration of Nord Stream, as well as an increase in purchases of Russian gas, meets the interests of the German population.

– How much will the repair cost and how long will such work take?

– Again, you will first have to assess the scale of the damage caused. The cost of laying two strings of the first gas pipeline, put into operation at the end of 2011 – beginning of 2012, amounted to 7.4 billion euros. Investments in the creation of the second pipe were at the level of 9.5 billion euros. There is no doubt that restoration work will also require investments of several billions. As for the timing, such repairs can take a minimum of three months, a maximum of up to one year.

– What legal and other conditions are necessary to carry out repairs?

– It will probably be necessary to renegotiate existing agreements on operation and supply volumes, as well as obtain new permits for the transportation of “blue fuel” from countries through whose exclusive economic zones the pipes are laid. We should not forget that even before the terrorist attacks, a number of states, in particular Denmark, were extremely reluctant to issue licenses and certificates for underwater transport activities. It is hardly surprising that after the theoretical start of pipeline repairs, Europeans, especially from Scandinavia, will again decide to put a spoke in the wheel and try to slow down the restoration of the offshore gas pipeline system.

– What do Gazprom think about the future of Nord Streams?

– Before we start discussing the puzzles of reconstructing damaged areas, it is worth deciding what to do with the second line of Nord Stream 2, which was not affected by the explosions. Apparently, it does not require any significant reconstruction and can only be done with diagnostics or prevention.

However, both Baltic pipes and the problem of their full restoration are a pie in the sky, which will be quite difficult to catch even despite the support of German parliamentarians. It is better not to harbor unnecessary illusions for the time being and focus on more realistic projects – such as increasing the production and supply of liquefied gas, as well as the production of ammonia. This raw material is also in demand on the world market and will definitely find its buyers.