Berlin Not To Abandon Nord Stream 2 Project Because Of US - Social Democratic Party Leader

Germany will not quit the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project even though the United States opposes it, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Andrea Nahles said.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2018) Germany will not quit the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project even though the United States opposes it, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Andrea Nahles said.

On July 11, US President Donald Trump stated that Germany was totally controlled by Russia through gas supplies, adding that he found it completely unacceptable that Germany paid billions of Euros for Russian gas and planned to build a new pipeline, Nord Stream 2, while the United States should defend it as an ally in NATO, spending on defense disproportionately more than Berlin.

"The [Nord Stream 2] gas pipeline is being constructed by a European venture. We cannot allow to be dissuaded from our agreements in the energy sector just because the US president cannot accept them � We receive energy supplies from many countries.

Yet another gas pipeline will not make us dependent on Russia," Nahles said in an interview with the Funke media group.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom and France's Engie, Austrias OMV AG, UK-Denmarks Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall. The pipeline will run under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast to a hub in Germany, and have an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. The pipeline is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019.

On July 16, Trump said the United States would compete with Nord Stream 2 by selling liquefied natural gas.