Poland’s PAP news agency this week cited German business newspaper Handelsblatt as reporting that German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier stands against abandoning the disputed gas pipeline project.
The newspaper quoted Altmaier as saying that "it is problematic to question every few months projects that have been designed over the last decades."
According to PAP, Altmaier accused the project’s critics of not openly speaking about the impact of stopping the construction on gas supplies to Europe.
"We all assume that the amount of gas that Europe has to import will increase," he said.
“Therefore, if necessary, you must be able to replace Russian gas. […] And of course, in Germany, we continue to focus on the development of renewable energy,” Altmaier added.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States is working to build a coalition of countries to stop the disputed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from being completed in Europe.
“We hope the Nord Stream 2 pipeline won't be completed,” Pompeo said at the time.
The Americans have already slapped sanctions on the pipeline and are planning new moves against the controversial energy project opposed by Washington and Warsaw.
The gas link is close to completion and is due to start operating next year. But German politicians have suggested they could withhold support after the suspected poisoning of Alexei Navalny, a leading Kremlin critic who is now recovering after undergoing treatment in a German hospital.
The 1,200-kilometer undersea Nord Stream 2 pipeline is designed to have the capacity to send around 55 billion cubic metres of Russian natural gas a year directly to Germany, while bypassing the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine.
Warsaw has vehemently opposed the project, saying it would pose a threat to Europe’s energy security by doubling Russia’s gas export capacity via the Baltic Sea.
(jh)
Source: PAP