German Industries Federation Advocates Nord Stream 2 Project Despite US Pressure

Germany should resist US pressure which aims to force the country to abandon the project to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Federation of German Industries (BDI) President Dieter Kempf said on Monday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2018) Germany should resist US pressure which aims to force the country to abandon the project to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Federation of German Industries (BDI) President Dieter Kempf said on Monday.

The United States has repeatedly called on the European countries to suspend its participation in the Nord Stream 2 project, threatening to impose sanctions against them otherwise. Instead of Russian gas, Washington suggested that Europe should purchase US liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"We can also receive gas through pipelines. We already have one [Nord Stream natural gas pipeline]. In order to ensure the reliability of [gas] supplies the economy advocates the construction of the second supply chain [Nord Stream 2]," Kempf said in an interview with Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Kempf indicated that the attempts by US President Donald Trump to offer the country's LNG as an alternative to the Russian gas was an act of interference in the country's energy supplies policies.

"The fact that the cost of the [US gas] production is low does not mean anything. The gas should then be transported across the Atlantic ... It should be liquefied in order to be transported and then it should be once again turned into gaseous state. Only [after these problems are solved] we can discuss the costs and reliability of the shipments," Kempf stated.

The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two gas pipelines that will run from Russia, through the Baltic Sea and to a hub in Germany. The project is a joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom, France's Engie, Austria's OMV AG, UK-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall. The project has been welcomed by some countries in Europe, such as Germany and Austria, and opposed by others, including Ukraine, which may suffer transit revenue drops if Nord Stream 2 becomes operational.