German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government said on Wednesday the “technical availability” of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is no longer “a given.”
Blasts near the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm in September caused massive leaks in the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream pipelines. Western leaders called the incident a deliberate act of “sabotage” intended to disrupt European energy infrastructure and supply.
In response to a parliamentary question from a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, the government said “it is very likely that the act of sabotage, with strong explosions, had a negative impact on both pipeline strings, and that the basic technical availability [of Nord Stream 2] is therefore no longer a given at the moment.”
It also pointed out that the pipeline still lacks the necessary safety certification to go into operation, German media reported.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin — whom some Western leaders have said is the likely culprit — said that if Europe wants gas to flow through the pipeline, “the taps can be turned on and that’s it.”
Unlike Nord Stream 1, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was never in operation as Berlin halted the certification process of the controversial pipeline in February, shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia shut off gas flows in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in early September, in retaliation against sanctions placed on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
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