Nord Stream 2 pipeline can be opened, as a “string” of it was not damaged, according to Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Aleksander Novak in an interview with RIA Novosti today. The former Energy Minister said that only “one string [of Nord Stream 2] was damaged, and an examination is required to make further decisions on the fate of the string. As for the second string, it is ready, fully built, and if the necessary legal decisions are made by our European colleagues regarding the certification and removal of restrictions, I think Russia could provide appropriate supplies through this string of the gas pipeline in a short time.”
Otherwise, Novak made the obvious point that any objective investigation will need to include Russian professionals - but so far neither the operator of the Nord Stream project, nor Gazprom or industrial regulator Rostekhnadzor, have been allowed to investigate.
RT’s coverage notes that, earlier this week, the operators of the two gas pipelines said they were unable to inspect the damaged sections because of restrictions imposed by the Danish and Swedish authorities. Nord Stream 2 AG, the Switzerland-based operator, said on Oct. 4 that it would examine the condition of the leaking pipelines once a police investigation of the “crime scene” is completed and a cordon is lifted. Later Nord Stream AG, operator of the older Nord Stream 1 pipeline, said it had been told by Danish authorities that receiving the necessary permits to carry out an inspection could take over 20 working days.
