Report: US wants to stop Nord Stream-2 project via defense bill

MOSCOW, Nov 25 (PRIME) -- U.S. Congress plans to cease implementation of Russia’s Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project using a national defense bill, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch told Defense News web portal on November 24.

“Sanctions on companies involved in the Nord Stream-2 pipeline have been added to the draft 2020 National Defense Authorization Act,” the media said citing the official.

“The reason for the push is that this window is closing. A lot of Nord Stream is done already,” Risch said, adding he believes the sanctions will persuade the construction firms involved to stop work on the project. “It will cost them dearly. I think if those sanctions pass (the companies) will shut down, and I think the Russians will have to look for another way to do this, if they can do this.”

The text of the sanctions provision has not been made public, but Risch said it is close to the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act, sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz, which the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed in July. That bill would sanction companies operating vessels that lay pipes for the Nord Stream-2 and TurkStream pipelines.

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 is implementing the project together with Germany’s E.ON and BASF, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria’s OMV, and France’s Engie.

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