Question- Consider the following statements-
(1) It is 1200 km pipeline
(2) It will run from Ust-Luga in Russia to Greifswald in Germany through the Baltic Sea
(3) It will carry 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year
Select the correct answer using the code given below-
(a) Only 2 and 3
(b) Only 3
(c) Only 1 and 3
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d)
Related facts-
- Recently, the US has approved the Germany-Russia Nord Stream 2 Pipeline (NS2P) project – which significantly increases Europe’s energy dependence on Russia.
- It is a 1,200-km pipeline that run will from Ust-Luga in Russia to Greifswald in Germany through the Baltic Sea, and will carry 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year.
- Nord stream 1 system is already completed and together with NS2P, it will supply 110 billion cubic metre of gas a year to Germany.
- The pipeline falls in the territory of EU members Germany and Denmark, and is about 98% complete.
- Since it was first planned, Nord Stream 2 has drawn criticism from the US, where both the Democratic and Republican parties believe that the project would increase Europe’s dependence on Russia for natural gas, thus emboldening its leader Vladimir Putin. Currently, EU countries already rely on Russia for 40 per cent of their gas needs.
- The project also has opponents in eastern Europe, especially Ukraine, whose ties with Russia have seriously deteriorated in the aftermath of the Crimean conflict in 2014.
- In December 2019, work on the project was suspended due to the threat of US sanctions, and in January this year, Washington actually carried out its threat– imposing sanctions on a Russian ship tasked with laying pipes for the project.
- Many had then predicted that the punitive action could prove to be the pipeline’s death knell.
- The pipeline also cast a shadow on US-Germany relations, with former President Donald Trump saying that it could turn Germany into a “hostage of Russia”.
- The US-Germany deal lays out that if Russia attempts to “use energy as a weapon or commit further aggressive acts against Ukraine,” Germany will take steps on its own and push for actions at the EU, including sanctions, “to limit Russian export capabilities to Europe in the energy sector.”
- The agreement also requires Germany to “utilise all available leverage” to extend by 10 years the current Russia-Ukraine gas transit agreement, which expires in 2024, and a contribution of at least $175 million to a new $1 billion “Green Fund for Ukraine” that aims at improving the country’s energy independence.
By- Yogesh Pratap Singh
Reference- https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/nord-stream-pipeline-us-germany-7417589/.