Russia expects Nord Stream 2 to begin operations in mid-2020

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said that Russia’s Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline is expected to begin operations in mid-2020,  despite opposition from some European countries and the United States.

The States affirm that the gas project will increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas, which runs counter to the interests of the White House. As a result, the United States were putting pressure on European countries to slow down the Russian project.

For example, Denmark issued a permit to build a gas pipeline in the country's exclusive economic zone only at the end of October. Earlier, the Russian president called on the Danish authorities not to succumb to pressure from the United States and to defend their sovereignty.

Recall that Nord Stream-2 will run along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from the coast of Russia to the coast of Germany. The throughput of the pipe is 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The project cost is estimated at 10 billion euros.