German authorities rejected environmental objections to Nord Stream 2

Environmentalists from NABU and DUH are protesting against the consent of the authorities to lay a section of the gas pipeline in the economic zone of Germany. The German authorities considered the environmental concerns unjustified.

In Germany, two environmental groups have failed in an attempt to block further construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. The Federal Office for Maritime Navigation and Hydrography (BSH) on Thursday, April 1, rejected the objections of the German Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and the environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) "after careful examination". As a result, BSH's permission for further laying of the gas pipeline remains in force.

Specifically, NABU and DUH have protested BSH's January permission for the pipeline to continue with an anchored pipe-laying vessel from late September to late May. This permit applies to the laying of pipes on a 16.5 km section in the economic zone of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Baltic Sea.

Environmentalists fear that the pipe-laying work will have negative consequences for the marine ecosystem and the conservation area for birds in the area. The BHS, however, dismissed these objections "after a new comprehensive review", concluding that significant negative impacts on the marine ecosystem and bird conservation area in the Pomeranian Bay could not be feared.

The environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has already announced that it will appeal the decision of the German regulator. This step will again slow down the issuance of a permit for the construction of the gas pipeline pending a court decision on this issue.

The gas pipeline is almost completed
For the first time after the resumption of construction, the project company Nord Stream 2 AG published accurate data on the progress of pipe-laying: “As of March 31, 2339 km (out of 2460 km) were laid, or 95% of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. the total length of the gas pipeline ".

The United States, as well as Ukraine and the Baltic countries, who fear an increase in Russia's influence on the European energy market, are actively opposed to the construction of the gas pipeline. At the same time, the FRG government supports this project.