German authorities issue first partial permit for Nord Stream 2 pipeline

Authorities in the German city of Stralsund have issued the first partial permit for construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project, public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reports. The local mining authority licensed construction along a 35-kilometre stretch in German waters of the Baltic Sea, project developer Nord Stream told the NDR. Environmental organisation WWF is examining whether an objection to the project, which is meant to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, is admissible, as it remains unclear whether there is sufficient EU-wide demand for natural gas, the article says. Nord Stream plans to begin construction of the 1,200-kilometre pipeline by spring next year, although licenses from other riparian states, such as Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, are still missing. The project is highly controversial, as several eastern European countries say the pipeline is meant to bypass them as transit countries.

Read the article in German here.

See the CLEW factsheet Germany’s dependence on imported fossil fuels for more information.