On September 10, the project company Nord Stream 2 AG informed that the last weld has been finished, making the Nord Stream Two natural gas pipeline fully complete from a technical perspective (Nord-stream2.com, September 10). At the same time, speculation in the media began to circulate that Russian gas flows through this just-build infrastructure could start as early as October 1 (Deutsche Welle—Polish service, September 10). In truth, however, both strings of the pipeline still have to be legally certified and commissioned, and their owner—Nord Stream 2 AG—has to be granted a gas transmission operator status by the German state regulator. Effectively, this means that it is still far too early to speculate about when and under what conditions Nord Stream Two operations will begin.
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Mateusz Kubiak: Nord Stream 2 сonstruction сompleted, but gas flows unlikely in 2021
This undated handout picture taken in September 2021 and provided by Nord Stream 2 AG, shows specialists on the laybarge Fortuna performing an above water tie-in during the final stage of Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction in the Baltic Sea.
