The US once again admitted that it is unable to halt the Nord Stream 2 construction. Katja Yafimava, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, voiced the US attitude to the situation.
She supposes that the US should accept that it is impossible to stop the construction. This could be enough for a successful launch of the pipeline. At the moment, there are three main obstacles that delay construction. First of all, there are no pipe-layers. Secondly, the organizers of the project have not found the company that would provide insurance. What is more, Gazprom has to get certification that the construction is safe and complies with the European Union standards. However, Yafimava shows no concern about these issues. She is sure that Gazprom will cope with these problems despite the US sanctions.
“All in all, it is still possible for Nord Stream 2 to be built by summer 2021 and get all the necessary certification to flow gas the following winter,” Katja Yafimava said. The main reason for such confidence is that Germany and some other European countries have kept the Russian side in the disputes with the US. Moreover, five European partners of Russian Gazprom, namely OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, Uniper, Engie, and Wintershall, are also supporting the project.
Notably, the list of companies Gazprom collaborates with may become longer. Of course, the US sanctions forced many contractors to refuse to cooperate with Gazprom. At the same time, those companies which are not afraid of these sanctions are likely to join the project. For example, Gazprom can find a state-owned entity to do certification. This may take a lot of time, but it is still possible.
