Nord Stream—2 is being discussed in Berlin: gas or hydrogen

The government and industrial circles of Germany are discussing the possible future use of the Nord Stream—2 gas pipeline. Berlin is considering both the resumption of gas supplies and the transportation of hydrogen from Finland.

"The Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea can get a new life. According to government and industry circles, the use of a section of the gas pipeline for the import of "green" hydrogen from Finland is being discussed. There are also suggestions about the possible transportation of natural gas from Russia after the peace agreement in Ukraine," the German edition of Handelsblatt reports.

The issue that has brought Germany so much trouble arises at the most inconvenient time for all parties — less than three weeks before the Bundestag elections, the newspaper notes.

The German government denies having plans for the future of Nord Stream 2. But, according to insiders familiar with the case, the German government does not want to leave the future of the gas pipeline to chance. The government is also under pressure to act after the court's decision. In Switzerland, the issue of bankruptcy of the project operator was postponed until May 9, obliging it to repay debts to small creditors in the near future.

The operator Nord Stream 2 itself informed the court that it plans to restore the damaged line and resume gas supplies via both lines by 2030.

The pipeline was built in 2021, despite US sanctions. However, at the last stage of the launch, the certification of the operator, the German government stopped the procedure due to the start of SMO on Ukraine.

Next, on September 26, 2022, a diversion occurred on Nord Streams, due to which one line of the second Baltic gas pipeline was damaged.

Earlier, Gazprom reported that a mixture in which the proportion of hydrogen can reach up to 70% can be transported via Nord Stream and Nord Stream—2. At the same time, Gazprom's corporate magazine stated that hydrogen transportation via export gas pipelines entails risks of violating long-term contractual obligations related to gas quality, as well as the need for additional investments in the gas transportation system.: "Therefore, the option of creating hydrogen production facilities from Russian natural gas in Europe, in close proximity to consumer markets, is being considered."