The Nord Stream-2 natural gas pipeline does not create dependence of Europe on Russia, it is a partnership that follows long-term and successful cooperation, executives of Austria’s OMV and Germany’s Wintershall and Uniper said in a joint statement on Monday.
“Russian gas supplies guarantee safety of supplies to Europe. We have to ensure safe supplies and competitive prices for gas as we are partners of large European employers. Russian gas supplies are a significant component of that, moreover, there is no other country in the world with such large reserves of gas. But the issue here is not in one-sided dependence of Europe on Russia, but in partnership that has been providing secure gas supplies to German for several decades,” the statement read.
“Also, the volumes that Europe needs grows with each year. And we know no consumers of gas that would like to replace Russian pipeline gas with more expensive liquefied gas from the U.S.”
The European Commission’s role is to stick to existing legislation, while the legal framework of the project is strict and leaves no room for actions of the European Commission, “which is showed by the conclusion of the legal service of the European Council,” the executives said in the letter.
The Nord Stream-2 project envisages construction of two lines of a natural gas pipeline with an annual capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters, running from the Russian shore to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Russian gas giant Gazprom will implement the project together with its European partners – Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall.
