Germany's Bilfinger Quits Nord Stream 2 Project In Face Of US Sanctions - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2021) Bilfinger has become the first German company to quit the Nord Stream 2 project in the face of US sanctions, the Bild newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing the company's documents.

According to the news outlet, Bilfinger submitted two letters to the respective US agency in December and January, saying that the company would resile from all contracts with Nord Stream 2 AG, the gas pipeline's operator.

The newspaper said that Bilfinger notified Nord Stream 2 AG of its decision to withdraw from the project ahead of Christmas, but the operator did not reply.

The company's press service refused to give any comment to Sputnik on the reports.

"We ask you to understand that we can not make any comments on your request," the press service told Sputnik.

Bilfinger won a 15 million euro ($18.1 million) contract for the development of the process control and monitoring systems of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in November 2017.

Nord Stream 2 is a project to lay a 745-mile-long twin pipeline that will carry up to 2 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia to Germany. The US opposes the project and seeks to export more liquefied natural gas to Europe. The pipeline's construction was suspended a year ago after sanctions forced Swiss pipelay company Allseas to withdraw from the project. The pipeline's construction was resumed in December 2020 and is expected to take several months, according to expert estimates.