Russia doesn't exclude possibility of Nord Stream 2 construction bypassing Denmark
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, speaking at the Russian Energy Week, said that if Denmark does not issue a permit to lay the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through its territorial waters, Russia has other route options. According to him, if the route changes, "the project will then be more expensive, and its implementation will take longer." The Minister noted that now Russia counts on the main route and sees "no reason" for Denmark not to issue the permit.
"We see fierce competition and resistance to the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, but it's not too overwhelming," said Novak. According to him, many countries support the project because it is "a long-term project that will ensure reliable energy supplies to the European Union for many years."
Gazprom's Chairman of the Board of Directors Viktor Zubkov recalled that the decisions on Gazprom's two applications has not been made for two years. Zubkov said that this is "a purely geopolitical situation related to the fact that the US wants to replace part of our Russian gas with its LNG (liquefied natural gas)."
On September 27, Denmark said that it could not yet announce the time frames for the decision on Nord Stream-2. The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) is studying these statements, as well as the results of public consultations in Denmark and neighboring countries on the pipeline's possible impact on the environment in a trans boundary context under the Espoo Convention, reported the DEA press service as quoted by Deutsche Welle. "It is impossible to say how long this process will take. This depends, among other things, on the results of possible further consultations with other countries in the context of the Espoo Convention," the press service explained.