View source for Nord Stream 1

{{Short description|Natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany}}
{{About|the Nord Stream 1 pipeline|the operator|Nord Stream AG|the second pipeline|Nord Stream 2}}
{{Unfocused|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox pipeline
|name = Nord Stream 1
|type = Natural gas
|map =  {{maplink |type=line |frame=yes |plain=yes |frame-align=center |zoom=4}}
|map_caption = Map of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline
|country = {{ubl|Russia|Germany}}
|coordinates = {{ubl|{{coord|60.555521|N|28.065289|E|region:RU_type:landmark|name=Portovaya Compressor Station|display=inline}}|{{coord|54.151388|N|13.656218|E|region:DE_type:landmark|name=Landing in Lubmin|display=inline}}}}
|status=Inoperable
|operator = [[Nord Stream AG]]
|partners = {{ubl|[[Gazprom]]|[[Uniper]]|[[Wintershall Dea]]|[[Gasunie]]|[[Engie]]}}
|length_km = 1222
|diameter_mm = 1220
|discharge = {{convert|55|e9m3/a|abbr=unit}}
|compressor_stations_no= 1
|compressor_stations= Portovaya
|direction = east–west–south
|start = [[Vyborg]], Russian Federation
|finish = [[Lubmin]] near [[Greifswald]], Germany
|est = {{ubl|8 November 2011 (1st line)|8 October 2012 (2nd line)}}
|through = [[Gulf of Finland]] and [[Baltic Sea]]
| pipe_manufacturer = {{ubl|[[Salzgitter AG|EUROPIPE]]|OMK|[[Sumitomo Heavy Industries|Sumitomo]]}}
| pipe_installer = [[Saipem]]
| pipe_layer = [[Castoro Sei]]
|contractors = {{ubl|[[Rambøll]]|Environmental Resource Management|Marin Mätteknik|IfAÖ|PeterGaz|[[DOF Subsea]]|Intec Engineering|Tideway BV|[[Royal Boskalis Westminster]]|EUPEC PipeCoatings|[[Rolls-Royce plc]]|[[Dresser Industries|Dresser-Rand Group]]|Siirtec Nigi SPA}}
|website = {{official URL}}
}}
'''Nord Stream''' ([[Denglisch|German–English]] mixed expression for "North Stream 1"; {{langx|ru|Северный поток|translit=Severny potok}}) was a pair of offshore [[natural gas]] [[pipeline transport|pipelines]] in [[Europe]] that run under the [[Baltic Sea]] from [[Russia]] to [[Germany]].<ref name="sdm21">{{cite web |title=Gas Infrastructure Europe – System Development Map 2022/2021 |website=European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) |date=December 2021 |url=https://entsog.eu/sites/default/files/2022-01/ENTSOG_GIE_SYSDEV_2020-2021.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924231209/https://entsog.eu/sites/default/files/2022-01/ENTSOG_GIE_SYSDEV_2020-2021.pdf |archive-date=2022-09-24 |access-date=2022-10-07 }}</ref> It consists of the Nord Stream 1 (NS1) pipeline running from [[Vyborg]] in northwestern Russia, near [[Finland]], and the [[Nord Stream 2]] (NS2) pipeline running from [[Ust-Luga]] in northwestern Russia near [[Estonia]]. Both pipelines run to [[Lubmin]] in the northeastern German state of [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]. Each pipeline contains two pipes, denoted A and B; each of the four pipes is approximately {{convert|1200|km}} long and with approximate diameters of {{convert|1,220|mm}}. The combined capacity of the four pipes is {{convert|110|e9m3/a|abbr=off}} of natural gas.

The name "Nord Stream" sometimes refers to a larger pipeline network that includes the feeding onshore pipeline in Russia and additional connections in Western Europe. These Nord Stream projects have faced opposition from some Central and Eastern European countries, as well as the United States, due to concerns that the pipelines would increase Russia's influence in Europe and result in a reduction of transit fees for the use of existing pipelines in Central and Eastern European countries.

On 26 September 2022, the NS1 pipeline  experienced [[Nord Stream pipeline sabotage|multiple large pressure drops]] to almost zero, attributed to three as of yet unexplained underwater explosions in international waters,{{clarify |date=October 2022 |reason=Danish Maritime Authority shows four leaks at four locations. What caused the fourth?}}<ref name="dk22">{{cite web |title=Navigational Warnings and Notices to Mariners |publisher=Danish Maritime Authority |url=https://nautiskinformation.soefartsstyrelsen.dk/index.html#/messages/map |access-date=2022-10-01}}</ref> rendering three of their four pipes inoperable.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Persson |first1=Ida |date=2022-09-27 |title=Seismolog: Två explosioner intill Nord Stream |language=sv |work=SVT Nyheter |url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/svt-avslojar-tva-explosioner-intill-nord-stream |access-date=2022-09-30}}</ref> The perpetrators' identities and the motives behind the sabotage remain debated despite three separate investigations by Denmark, Germany, and Sweden.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bennetts |first=Marc |date=2 February 2023 |title=Who attacked the Nord Stream pipelines? |newspaper=The Times |location=London |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/who-attacked-nord-stream-pipeline-russia-uk-west-ukraine-war-wv99ds7tx |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 February 2023}}</ref> On 18 November 2022, Swedish authorities announced that remains of explosives were found at the site of the leaks, and confirmed that the incident was the result of "gross sabotage", while Danish authorities used the phrase "deliberate actions".<ref name=prosecutor-20221118>{{Cite press release |title=Bekräftat sabotage vid Nord Stream |url=https://www.aklagare.se/nyheter-press/pressmeddelanden/2022/november/bekraftat-sabotage-vid-nord-stream/ |access-date=18 November 2022 |website=[[Swedish Prosecution Authority|Åklagarmyndigheten]] |language=sv |trans-title=Confirmed sabotage on Nord Stream}}</ref><ref name=thehill-20221118>{{cite news |title= Swedish say they found evidence of explosives in Nord Stream pipelines |url= https://thehill.com/policy/international/3742163-swedish-say-they-found-evidence-of-explosives-in-nord-stream-pipelines/ |first=Jared |last=Gans |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |language=en |date=18 November 2022 |access-date=2023-09-06}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Nord Stream ceremony.jpeg|thumb|The Nord Stream opening ceremony on 8 November 2011 with [[François Fillon]], [[Angela Merkel]], [[Mark Rutte]], [[Dmitry Medvedev]], [[Günther Oettinger]], and [[Erwin Sellering]]]]

===1997–present===
[[File:Nord Stream gas flows.webp|thumb|300px|right|Nord Stream gas flows<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nord-stream.info/|title=Network Data|website=Nord-stream.info|access-date=19 July 2022}}</ref> <br /> * Russia cut the flow of natural gas by more than half in June 2022 because they alleged they could not get a part seized by the Canadian government because of sanctions. [[Siemens]], the producer of the part, denied that this piece was critical for operations.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/canada-seeking-pathway-enable-german-gas-flow-amid-russian-sanctions-bloomberg-2022-06-21/ | title=Canada seeking pathway to enable German gas flow amid Russian sanctions -Bloomberg | newspaper=Reuters | date=21 June 2022 }}</ref> <br /> * Russia halted gas flows on 11 July 2022 for annual maintenance for 10 days and resumed partial operations on 21 July.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-21/nord-stream-says-russian-gas-shipments-resume-on-thursday | title=Russia Resumes Nord Stream Gas Flow, Bringing Europe Respite | newspaper=Bloomberg.com | date=21 July 2022 }}</ref> <br /> * Russia stopped the flow of natural gas on 31 August 2022 for alleged maintenance for 3 days, but later said they could not provide a timeframe for restarting gas flow. The EU accused Russia of fabricating a false story to justify the cut.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-scraps-gas-pipeline-reopening-stoking-european-fears-2022-09-02/ | title=Russia scraps gas pipeline reopening, stoking European fuel fears | newspaper=Reuters | date=3 September 2022 | last1=Steitz | first1=Christoph | last2=Davis | first2=Caleb }}</ref> <br /> {{font color | #EE220C | {{large|'''X'''}} }} Pipeline was sabotaged on 26 September 2022.<ref name=prosecutor-20221118/><ref name=thehill-20221118/>]]

The Nord Stream pipeline project began in 1997, when [[Gazprom]] and Finnish oil company [[Neste]]{{Efn|In 1998, [[Neste]] merged with Imatran Voima to form Fortum Oyj. In 2005, it was divested into Neste Oyj.}} formed the joint company North Transgas Oy for the construction and operation of a gas pipeline from Russia to northern Germany across the Baltic Sea.<ref name="rll07">{{cite news |last1=Larsson |first1=Robert L. |title=Nord Stream, Sweden and Baltic Sea Security |url=https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/39/015/39015071.pdf |publisher=Swedish Defence Research Agency |date=March 2007}}</ref><ref name=fortum/><ref name="vml">{{cite news |title=Nord Stream Gas Pipeline (NSGP), Russia-Germany |url=https://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/negp/ |access-date=25 March 2023 |publisher=Verdict Media Limited}}</ref>  North Transgas Oy cooperated with the German gas company [[Ruhrgas]].{{Efn|Ruhrgas later became part of [[E.ON]], which then split into E.ON and [[Uniper]].}} A route survey was done in the [[exclusive economic zone]]s of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, and a feasibility study of the pipeline was conducted in 1998. Several routes were considered, including those with onshore segments through Finland and Sweden.<ref name="notification2006">{{cite web | publisher= [[Nord Stream AG]] | title = Project Information Document&nbsp;– Offshore pipeline through the Baltic Sea | url= http://www.bsh.de/en/Marine_uses/Industry/Pipelines/Nord_Stream_Project_Information.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160215063150/http://www.bsh.de/en/Marine_uses/Industry/Pipelines/Nord_Stream_Project_Information.pdf | archive-date = 15 February 2016 |date=November 2006 | access-date=14 May 2012}}</ref>

In April 2001, Gazprom, [[Fortum]], Ruhrgas, and [[Wintershall]] adopted a statement regarding a joint feasibility study for the construction of the pipeline,<ref name="pipereport">{{cite news | publisher= Scientific Surveys | title = Pipeline Report | url= http://www.pipemag.com/publications/report/PipeReportJun01.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030510144045/http://www.pipemag.com/publications/report/PipeReportJun01.pdf | archive-date = 10 May 2003 |date=June 2001 | access-date=31 January 2009}}</ref> and in November 2002, the Management Committee of Gazprom approved a schedule of project implementation.

In May 2005, Fortum withdrew from the project and sold its stake in North Transgas to Gazprom. As a result, Gazprom became the only shareholder of North Transgas Oy.<ref name="watts05">{{cite news |last1=Watts |first1=Rob |title=Gazprom takes control of North Transgas |url=https://www.upstreamonline.com/live-fsu/gazprom-takes-control-of-north-transgas/1-1-1032994 |date=18 May 2005}}</ref><ref name="fortum">
{{cite press release
 | publisher= [[Fortum]]
 | title = Fortum sells its stake in North Transgas to Gazprom
 | url= http://www.fortum.com/en/mediaroom/pages/fortum-sells-its-stake-in-north-transgas-to-gazprom-.aspx
 | date = 18 May 2005
| access-date=15 February 2008}}
</ref><ref name="upstream180505">
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | title = Gazprom takes control of North Transgas
 | url= https://www.upstreamonline.com/live-fsu/gazprom-takes-control-of-north-transgas/1-1-1032994
 | date = 18 May 2005
| access-date=31 January 2009
| url-access = subscription
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111124102936/http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/fsu/article68801.ece
 | archive-date = 24 November 2011
| url-status = live}}
</ref>

In September 2005, Gazprom, BASF, and E.ON signed a basic agreement on the construction of a North European gas pipeline. In November 2005, the North European Gas Pipeline Company (later Nord Stream AG) was incorporated in [[Zug]], Switzerland. In December 2005, Gazprom started construction of the Russian onshore segment of the Nord Stream project, in order to connect Nord Stream with the wider Russian natural gas pipeline system. Specifically, the [[Gryazovets–Vyborg gas pipeline]] was built in [[Babayevo (town), Vologda Oblast|Babayevo]], [[Vologda Oblast]],<ref name="gazprom091205">{{cite press release |publisher=[[Gazprom]] |title=Gazprom launches construction of onshore section of North European Gas Pipeline |url=https://www.gazprom.com/press/news/2005/december/article63374/ |date=9 December 2005 |access-date=3 August 2007 |archive-date=23 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223081934/http://gazprom.com/press/news/2005/december/article63374/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> connecting Nord Stream to the [[Northern Lights (pipeline)|Northern Lights Pipeline network]]. The construction was completed in 2010.

In October 2006, the pipeline and the operating company were officially renamed Nord Stream AG.<ref name="gazprom2">
{{cite web
 | publisher= [[Gazprom]]
 | title = Nord Stream: Historical Background
 | url= http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article22901.shtml
 | access-date = 3 August 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080115091142/http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article22901.shtml
 | archive-date = 15 January 2008
| url-status = dead}}
</ref> All information related to the pipeline project, including results of the seabed survey of 1998, was transferred from North Transgas to Nord Stream AG. In November 2006, North Transgas was officially dissolved.<ref name=rusenergy>{{cite news
 |publisher    = RusEnergy
 |script-title = ru:Ликвидировано 100-процентное дочернее предприятие "Газпрома" в Финляндии
 |trans-title  = Gazprom's 100% owned daughter company in Finland is dissolved
 |url          = http://www.servon.ru/index.php?target=news&id=1709&PHPSESSID=4085cac910899bdff5d6b473df476214
 |date         = 30 January 2007
 |access-date  = 15 February 2008
 |language     = ru
 |archive-date = 2 April 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120402093316/http://www.servon.ru/index.php?target=news&id=1709&PHPSESSID=4085cac910899bdff5d6b473df476214
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>

The [[environmental impact assessment]] started in November 2006, when notifications were sent to Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany as parties of origin (countries whose exclusive economic zones or [[territorial waters]] the pipeline was planned to pass through), and Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia as affected parties.<ref name=nordstream2/> The final report on transboundary environmental impact assessment was delivered in March 2009.<ref name=nordstream090309>
{{cite press release
 | url = http://www.nord-stream.com/press-info/press-releases/start-of-public-participation-throughout-baltic-sea-region-on-nord-stream-pipeline-project-308/
 | title = Start of Public Participation throughout Baltic Sea Region on Nord Stream Pipeline Project
 | publisher = Nord Stream AG
 | date = 9 March 2009
| access-date = 26 April 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160426184224/http://www.nord-stream.com/press-info/press-releases/start-of-public-participation-throughout-baltic-sea-region-on-nord-stream-pipeline-project-308/
 | archive-date = 26 April 2016
| url-status = live}}
</ref>

The gas systems operated by Finland's [[Gasum]] are connected to Nord Stream via a branch pipeline in [[Karelia (historical province of Finland)|Karelia]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Kirton |editor-first1=John J |editor-last2=Larionova |editor-first2=Marina |editor-last3=Savona |editor-first3=Paolo |date=2016 |title=Making Global Economic Governance Effective: hard and soft law institutions in a crowded world |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=98FJDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA148 |location=London; New York |publisher=Routledge |page=148 |isbn=9781317102373 |quote=In December 2006, Finland decided to join Nord Stream and to build a branch. ... The gas pipeline branch would go underground in the region of the Karelia isthmus, which, if necessary, would simplify the link-up with the Finnish gas pipeline system.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/negp/ |title=Nord Stream Gas Pipeline (NSGP), Russia-Germany - Hydrocarbons Technology |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |publisher=Verdict Media Limited |access-date=20 May 2022 |quote=According to the Finnish natural gas company Gasum, a branch pipeline in Karelia connects the onshore section of the pipeline to Finland.}}</ref>

In March 2007, Nord Stream AG hired Italian company [[Snamprogetti]], a subsidiary of [[Saipem]], for detailed design engineering of the pipeline.<ref name=facts1/> A letter of intent for construction works was signed with Saipem in September 2007 and the contract was concluded in June 2008.<ref name=upstream8>
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | title = Saipem bags Nord Stream work
 | url= http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article140848.ece
 | date = 17 September 2007
| access-date=30 September 2007
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref><ref name=reuters240608/> In September 2007, the pipe supply contracts were awarded to pipe producers [[Salzgitter AG|EUROPIPE]] and OMK. In February 2008, the concrete weight coating and logistics services agreements were awarded to EUPEC PipeCoatings S.A.<ref name="wintershall2509"/><ref name=rigzone1/>

In December 2008, [[Rolls-Royce Holdings]] was awarded a contract to supply turbines for the compressor. In January 2009, [[Royal Boskalis Westminster]] and Danish Dredging Contractor Rohde Nielsen A/S were awarded a joint venture seabed [[dredging]] contract.<ref name="downstream301208" /><ref name="downstream090109" /> The supply contracts for the second line were awarded to OMK, Europipe, and [[Sumitomo Heavy Industries]] in January 2010.<ref name=reuters220110>
{{cite news
 | first = Vladimir | last = Soldatkin
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-tender-idUKLDE60L0WR20100122
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160509163014/http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-tender-idUKLDE60L0WR20100122
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 9 May 2016
 | title = Nord Stream awards 1 bln euros tender for gas link
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | date = 23 January 2010
| access-date = 18 February 2010}}
</ref>

The agreement to add [[Gasunie]] to the consortium as the fourth partner was signed in November 2007.<ref name=bloomberg2>
{{cite news
 | first1 = Lucian | last1 = Kim
 | first2 = Greg | last2 = Walters
 | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2007-11-06/gazprom-to-pick-gasunie-as-partner-in-northern-pipeline-today
 | title = Gazprom Picks Dutch Company for Northern Gas Pipeline
 | publisher = [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]
 | date = 6 November 2007
| access-date = 26 April 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160426183634/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2007-11-06/gazprom-to-pick-gasunie-as-partner-in-northern-pipeline-today
 | archive-date = 26 April 2016
| url-status = live}}
</ref> In June 2008, Gasunie was included in the register of shareholders.<ref name=rbc>
{{cite news
 | url = http://rbcnews.com/free/20080620155724.shtml
 | title = Gasunie joins Nord Stream as shareholder
 | publisher = RBC
 | date = 20 June 2008
| access-date = 23 June 2008}}
</ref> In March 2010, French energy company [[GDF Suez]] signed with Gazprom a memorandum of understanding to acquire 9% stake in the project.<ref name=reuters010310>
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/gdf-nordstream-idUKLDE62016F20100301
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160512165733/http://uk.reuters.com/article/gdf-nordstream-idUKLDE62016F20100301
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 12 May 2016
 | title = GDF Suez, Gazprom sign Nord Stream pipeline deal
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | first = Muriel | last = Boselli
 | date = 1 March 2010
| access-date = 1 March 2010}}
</ref> The transaction was closed in July 2010.<ref name=rusmerger110810>{{cite news
 | url = http://rusmergers.com/en/mna/4785-.html
 | title = GDF Suez SA has received 9% in Nord Stream
 | publisher = Rusmergers
 | date = 11 August 2010
| access-date = 26 May 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316160901/http://rusmergers.com/en/mna/4785-.html
 | archive-date = 16 March 2012
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

In August 2008, Nord Stream AG hired former Finnish prime minister [[Paavo Lipponen]] as a consultant to help speed up the application process in Finland and to serve as a link between Nord Stream and Finnish authorities.<ref name=downstream150808>
{{cite news
 | url = https://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/149229/nord_stream_consortium_hires_former_finnish_premier/
 | agency = [[Deutsche Presse-Agentur]]
 | title = Nord Stream Consortium Hires Former Finnish Premier
 | work = Rigzone
 | date = 15 August 2008
| access-date = 19 August 2008}}
</ref>

In December 2007, Nord Stream AG submitted application documents to the Swedish government for the pipeline construction in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone.<ref name=downstream4>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.downstreamtoday.com/news/article.aspx?a_id=7807
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101121015532/http://downstreamtoday.com/(S(gzg0ok45xpwpe455yi1jdi2o))/news/article.aspx?a_id=7807
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 21 November 2010
| title = Swedish Govt Receives Baltic Pipeline Plans
 | agency = [[Deutsche Presse-Agentur]]
 | publisher = Downstream Today
 | date = 21 December 2007
| access-date = 26 December 2007}}
</ref> In February 2008, the Swedish government rejected the consortium's application, which it had found incomplete.<ref name=reuters4>
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/environment-sweden-nordstream-dc-idUKL1257921820080212
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160307165408/http://uk.reuters.com/article/environment-sweden-nordstream-dc-idUKL1257921820080212
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 7 March 2016
 | title = Sweden says application for Baltic pipeline incomplete
 | first = Anna | last = Ringstrom
 | work = Reuters
 | date = 12 February 2008
| access-date = 15 February 2008}}
</ref><ref name=thelocal>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.thelocal.se/9964/20080212/
 | title = Sweden unimpressed by Baltic pipeline proposal
 | newspaper = The Local
 | date = 12 February 2008
| access-date = 15 February 2008}}
</ref> A new application was filed later. In October 2009, Nord Stream received a construction permit to build the pipeline in Danish waters.<ref name=reuters201009>
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKLK39799020091020
 | title = Nord Stream gas pipeline gets Danish clearance
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | date = 20 October 2009
| access-date = 1 November 2009}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
</ref> In November 2009, the Swedish and Finnish authorities permitted the laying of the pipeline in their exclusive economic zones.<ref name=reuters051109>
{{cite news
 | url =http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKL532415220091105
 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160305141427/http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKL532415220091105
 | url-status =dead
 | archive-date =5 March 2016
 | title = Nord Stream pipeline gets nod from Sweden, Finland
 | first1 = Simon | last1 = Johnson
 | first2 = Eva | last2 = Lamppu
 | first3 = Darya | last3 = Korsunskaya
 | first4 = Patryk | last4 =Wasilewski
 | first5 = Gabriela | last5 = Baczynska
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | date = 5 November 2009
| access-date = 7 November 2009}}
</ref> In February 2010, the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland issued the final environmental permit allowing construction of the Finnish section of the pipeline.<ref name=upi150210>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/nord-stream-wins-final-clearance/399732.html
 | title = Nord Stream Wins Final Clearance
 | newspaper = [[The Moscow Times]]
 | date = 15 February 2010
| access-date = 17 February 2010}}
</ref><ref name=reuters120210>
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKLDE61B03H20100212
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160306101611/http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKLDE61B03H20100212
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 6 March 2016
 | title = Nord Stream cleared to start construction in April
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | first1 = Brett | last1 = Young
 | first2 = Terhi | last2 = Kinnunen
 | date = 12 February 2010
| access-date = 18 February 2010}}
</ref>

Construction of the Portovaya compressor station in Vyborg, near the [[Gulf of Finland]], began in January 2010.
<ref name=UPI15012010>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/01/18/Gazprom-starts-Nord-Stream-launch-point/UPI-49481263832571/
 | title = Gazprom starts Nord Stream launch point
 | publisher = Upi
 | date = 15 January 2010
| access-date = 19 January 2010}}
</ref>
<ref name=GAZPROM15012010>{{cite press release
 | url = http://www.gazprom.com/press/news/2010/January/article74659/
 | title = Gazprom launches Portovaya compressor station construction
 | publisher = [[Gazprom]]
 | date = 15 January 2010
 | access-date = 19 January 2010
 | archive-date = 19 January 2010
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100119175726/http://www.gazprom.com/press/news/2010/January/article74659/
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> The first pipe of the pipeline was laid in April 2010 in the Swedish exclusive economic zone by the ''[[Castoro Sei]]'' vessel, which continued to lay most of the distance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nord Stream Pipeline - Pipe Laying Vessel..Saipem's Castoro Sei |url=https://www.wermac.org/nordstream/nordstream_part5.html#gsc.tab=0 |website=www.wermac.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005232131/https://www.wermac.org/nordstream/nordstream_part5.html |archive-date=5 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> The ''Castoro 10'' performed pipe work near Germany,<ref>{{cite web |title=Nord Stream Pipeline - Pipe Laying Vessel - Saipem's Castoro Dieci |url=https://www.wermac.org/nordstream/nordstream_part6.html#gsc.tab=0 |website=www.wermac.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005095313/https://www.wermac.org/nordstream/nordstream_part6.html |archive-date=5 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Solitaire (ship)|Solitaire]]'' was pipe-laying near Finland.<ref name=ogj080911>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.ogj.com/articles/2011/09/nord-stream-natural-gas-pipeline-begins-line-fill.html
 | title = Nord Stream natural gas pipeline begins line fill
 | work = Oil & Gas Journal
 | publisher = [[PennWell Corporation]]
 | first = Christopher E. | last = Smith
 | date = 8 September 2011
| access-date = 10 September 2011
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nord Stream Pipeline - Pipe Laying Vessel - Allseas Solitaire, the largest pipelay vessel in the world |url=https://www.wermac.org/nordstream/nordstream_part7.html |website=www.wermac.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005093638/https://www.wermac.org/nordstream/nordstream_part7.html |archive-date=5 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> Construction of the pipeline was officially launched in April 2010 at Portovaya Bay.<ref name=reuters090410>
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKLDE6381ES20100409
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161221091303/http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKLDE6381ES20100409
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 21 December 2016
 | title = Russia starts Nord Stream Europe gas route project
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | first = Toni | last = Vorobyova
 | date = 9 April 2010
| access-date = 10 April 2010}}
</ref>

The first pipe was completed in May 2011. Underwater works were completed in June 2011.<ref name=reuters040511>
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/europe-gas-pipeline-idUKLDE7431M720110504
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170503225803/http://uk.reuters.com/article/europe-gas-pipeline-idUKLDE7431M720110504
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 3 May 2017
 | title = Nord Stream to finish 1st gas pipeline Thursday
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | first = Henning | last = Gloystein
 | date = 4 May 2011
| access-date = 26 May 2010}}
</ref> In August 2011, Nord Stream was connected to the [[OPAL pipeline|German OPAL pipeline]],<ref name=dw260811>
{{cite news
 | first = John | last = Blau
 | agency = [[Deutsche Welle]]
 | title = Nord Stream pipeline now connected to German link
 | url= http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15345814,00.html
 | date = 26 August 2011
| access-date=10 September 2011}}
</ref> with the first gas delivery pumped in September 2011.<ref name=upstream060911>
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | title = First gas for Nord Stream
 | url= http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article276687.ece
 | date = 6 September 2011
| access-date=6 September 2011
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref> Construction of the second pipe was completed in August 2012 and inaugurated in October 2012.<ref name=osw101012>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/eastweek/2012-10-10/russia-gazprom-has-activated-nord-stream-s-second-pipeline
 | title = Russia: Gazprom has activated Nord Stream's second pipeline
 | first = Ewa
 | last = Paszyc
 | date = 10 October 2012
 | work = EastWeek
 | publisher = [[Centre for Eastern Studies|Center for Eastern Studies]]
 | access-date = 9 December 2012
 | archive-date = 20 October 2012
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121020001431/http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/eastweek/2012-10-10/russia-gazprom-has-activated-nord-stream-s-second-pipeline
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

The pipeline was officially inaugurated in November 2011 by German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]], Russian President [[Dmitry Medvedev]], French Prime Minister [[François Fillon]], and Dutch Prime Minister [[Mark Rutte]] at a ceremony held in Lubmin.<ref name=spiegel081111>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,796611,00.html
 | title = Controversial Project Launched: Merkel and Medvedev Open Baltic Gas Pipeline
 | newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]]
 | date = 8 November 2011
| access-date = 8 November 2011}}
</ref><ref name=ft081111>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/51ea636e-0a14-11e1-8d46-00144feabdc0.html
 | first1 = Gerrit | last1 = Wiesmann
 | title = Russia-EU gas pipeline delivers first supplies
 | newspaper = [[Financial Times]]
 | date = 8 November 2011
| access-date = 8 November 2011}}
</ref><ref name="The Wall Street Journal081111">
{{cite news
 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204190704577026090216554770
 |title=Pipeline Opening Highlights Russian Energy Role
 |last1=Hromadko|first1=Jan
 |last2=Harriet | first2= Torry
 |date=8 November 2011
 |newspaper= [[The Wall Street Journal]]
 |access-date=8 November 2011}}
</ref>

During a routine annual checkup in November 2015, a small, remotely operated armed mine-disposal vehicle was found lying near the pipeline near the [[Öland]] island in the Baltic Sea. As the craft lay in Swedish territorial waters, Nord Stream requested the [[Swedish Navy]] to remove it.<ref>{{cite news |title=Armed mine disposal vehicle found near gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea |url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6296977 |website=Sveriges Radio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511034526/https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6296977 |archive-date=11 May 2021 |language=en |date=7 November 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Militären kan spränga mystiska farkosten |url=https://www.svd.se/a/9c268bd7-df0c-4847-ba66-0d0dcf9860a6/militaren-kan-spranga-mystiska-farkosten |website=[[Svenska Dagbladet]] |language=sv |date=7 November 2015}}</ref>

Although the [[nameplate capacity|nominal capacity]] of the pipeline is {{convert|55|e9m3/a|abbr=off}}, it transported {{convert|59.2|e9m3|abbr=off}} in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nord Stream 2021 gas exports reach 59.2bln cubic meters {{!}} Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide |url=https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/nord-stream-2021-gas-exports-reach-59-2bln-cubic-metres/ |website=Hellenicshippingnews.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220223203658/https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/nord-stream-2021-gas-exports-reach-59-2bln-cubic-metres/ |archive-date=23 February 2022 |date=8 February 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 25 July 2022, Gazprom announced it would reduce gas flows to Germany to 20% of the maximum capacity, or 50% of the current throughput. The company shut down the pipeline for 10 days because of maintenance and claimed the reduction was due to a repaired turbine in Montréal, Canada, that could not be delivered due to [[International sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|sanctions against Russia]]. The German government denied this claim and believed there was no reason for reducing the flow. Meanwhile, during a press conference in [[Tehran]], Putin said that these flows could be increased again if Russia receives more turbines from the manufacturer.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/20/business/energy-environment/nordstream-vladimir-putin-russian-gas.html "Seeking Leverage Over Europe, Putin Says Russian Gas Flow Will Resume]" NYT. Retrieved 26 July 2022.</ref>

On 31 August 2022, Gazprom halted any gas delivery through Nord Stream 1 for three days, officially because of maintenance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooban |first=Anna |date=31 August 2022 |title=Russia cuts more gas supplies to Europe as inflation hits another record |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/business/nord-stream-1-europe-inflation/index.html |access-date= |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref> On 2 September 2022, the company announced that natural gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would remain shut off indefinitely until the main gas turbine at the Portovaya compressor station near St Petersburg was fixed due to an engine oil leak.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2022-09-02 |title=Gazprom: Nord Stream 1 gas to stay shut until fault fixed, "workshop conditions needed" |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/gazprom-nord-stream-1-gas-stay-shut-until-turbine-fault-fixed-no-timeline-given-2022-09-02/ }}</ref> Gazprom justified this by claiming that European Union sanctions against Russia had resulted in technical problems, preventing it from providing the full volume of contracted gas through the pipeline; [[Siemens Energy AG|Siemens Energy]], which maintains the turbine, rejected this and stated that there are no legal obstacles to its provision of maintenance for the pipeline.<ref name=":1" />

=== 2022 sabotage ===
{{Main|Nord Stream pipeline sabotage}}
On 26 September 2022, multiple ruptures in the NS1 and the NS2 pipelines were detected in what appeared to be an act of [[sabotage]].

Unexplained large pressure drops were reported in both pipelines at the end-station in Germany. A gas leak from NS2 was located late on 26 September. Early on the 27th, two separate leaks in NS1 were discovered. They occurred in [[international waters]], but within the Danish and Swedish [[exclusive economic zone]]s.<ref>{{cite news |date=27 September 2022 |title=Nord Stream-selskab: Skader er uden fortilfælde |publisher=Berlingske |url= https://www.berlingske.dk/danmark/nord-stream-selskab-skader-er-uden-fortilfaelde |access-date=27 September 2022}}</ref> Both ''[[Berliner Zeitung]]'' and ''[[Le Monde]]'' newspapers suggested acts of sabotage, and a [[Kremlin]] spokesman also said it could be.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated-->|title=Kremlin does not rule out disruption of Nord Stream pipelines could be sabotaged |publisher=TASS |url= https://tass.com/economy/1514057 | date=27 September 2022 |access-date=31 December 2022}}</ref> Neither pipeline was in operation at the time of these incidents, but both did contain pressurized gas.<ref name="bz20220927">[https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/druckabfall-in-nord-stream-1-kapazitaet-auf-null-gesunken-li.271021 Pressure drop now also in Nord Stream 1: Was it sabotage?], ''[[Berliner Zeitung]]'', 27 September 2022.</ref><ref name="lm20220927">[https://www.lemonde.fr/en/europe/article/2022/09/27/sabotage-suspected-over-leaks-in-nord-stream-gas-pipelines_5998330_143.html Sabotage suspected over leaks in Nord Stream gas pipelines], ''[[Le Monde]]'', 27 September 2022.</ref>

The rupturing of the Nord Stream pipelines happened as the [[Baltic Pipe]] was being opened for natural gas to come in from the [[North Sea]] through [[Denmark]] to [[Poland]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/baltic-pipe-gas-pipeline-opens-connects-norway-and-poland/ | title=Baltic Pipe gas pipeline opens, connects Norway and Poland | date=28 September 2022 | work = Euractiv}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/baltic-pipe-gas-pipeline-officially-opens-to-reduce-dependency-on-russia/2696408 | place = [[Turkey|TR]] | title= Baltic Pipe gas pipeline officially opens to reduce dependency on Russia | work = AA}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/mystery-gas-leaks-hit-major-russian-undersea-gas-pipelines-europe-2022-09-27/ | title=EU vows to protect energy network after 'sabotage' of Russian gas pipeline | publisher =Reuters | date=28 September 2022 | last1= Carrel | first1=Paul | last2=Jacobsen | first2=Stine }}</ref> {{As of |2022|09|29}}, the [[Yamal–Europe pipeline]] is operational, although "There are concerns that if Russia introduces sanctions against Ukraine's [[Naftogaz]] [...] that could prohibit [[Gazprom]] from paying Ukraine transit fees [... that] could end Russian gas flows to Europe via the country."<ref name="reu22b">{{cite news |title=Gas flows stable via Yamal pipeline and Ukraine |agency=Reuters |date=2022-09-29 |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gas-flows-stable-via-yamal-075146225.html |access-date=2022-10-02 }}</ref><ref name="reu22a">{{cite news |title=Eastward gas flows via Yamal pipeline rise, flows via Ukraine stable |work=Reuters |date=2022-09-27 |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/eastward-gas-flows-via-yamal-europe-pipeline-rise-2022-09-27/ |access-date=2022-10-02 }}</ref><ref name="che22">{{cite news |title=Russia's Ukraine gas transit sanction threat a fresh blow for Europe |first=Nina |last=Chestney |date=2022-09-29 |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russias-ukraine-gas-transit-sanction-threat-fresh-blow-europe-2022-09-28/
|access-date=2022-10-02 }}</ref><ref name="sta22">{{cite news |title=Russian gas transit volume in Ukraine in 2022, by route |date=2022-09-28 |website=Statista |publisher=Statista Research Department |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308480/ukraine-russian-gas-transit-volume-by-route/ |access-date=2022-10-02 }}</ref>

In September 2022 ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that the incidents are likely to put a permanent end to both Nord Stream 1 and 2.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 September 2022 |title=European leaders blame Russian 'sabotage' after Nord Stream explosions |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/27/nord-stream-gas-pipelines-damage-russia/ |access-date=28 September 2022 |archive-date=27 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927224726/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/27/nord-stream-gas-pipelines-damage-russia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 27 April 2023 the [[Defence Command (Denmark)|Danish Defence Command]] confirmed that six Russian navy ships including the [[SS-750]] salvage ship able to launch a mini-submarine were operating in the area four days before the explosion. Russia denied involvement in the sabotage.<ref name=information-20230428>{{cite news|url= https://www.information.dk/indland/2023/04/forsvaret-bekraefter-rusland-specialfartoej-naer-nord-streams-spraengningspunkt |website= [[information.dk]] |title= Forsvaret bekræfter: Rusland havde specialfartøj nær Nord Streams sprængningspunkt |language=da |first1= Bo |last1= Elkjær |first2= Sebastian |last2= Gjerding |date= 2023-04-28 |access-date=2023-08-27 |trans-title= Defence confirms: Russia had specialized vessel near Nord Stream point of explosion}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65461401 | title=Nord Stream: Report puts Russian navy ships near pipeline blast site | work=BBC News | date=3 May 2023 }}</ref>

The United States rejected claims from investigative journalist [[Seymour Hersh]] of involvement in the sabotage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230208-white-house-rejects-report-that-us-was-behind-nord-stream-sabotage | title=White House rejects report that US was behind Nord Stream sabotage | date=8 February 2023 }}</ref>

{{As of|February 2023}} none of the three separate investigations carried out by Germany, Sweden and Denmark publicly assigned responsibility for the damage.<ref name=times-20230202>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/who-attacked-nord-stream-pipeline-russia-uk-west-ukraine-war-wv99ds7tx |title=Who attacked the Nord Stream pipelines? |last=Bennetts |first=Marc |newspaper=The Times |location=London |url-access=subscription |date=2 February 2023 |access-date=2 February 2023}}</ref>

In June 2023, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that the United States had intelligence of a Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream, and in November 2023 reported that [[Roman Chervinsky]], a colonel in Ukraine's Special Operations Forces, had coordinated the Nord Stream pipeline attack.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-06 |title=US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream project, Washington Post reports |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us-had-intelligence-ukrainian-plan-attack-nord-stream-pipeline-washington-post-2023-06-06/ |access-date=2023-11-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Shane |last2=Khurshudyan |first2=Isabelle |date=2023-11-11 |title=Ukrainian military officer coordinated Nord Stream pipeline attack |language=en-US |work=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/11/11/nordstream-bombing-ukraine-chervinsky/ |access-date=2023-11-11 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

==Technical features==
===Russian onshore-pipeline===
{{Main|Gryazovets–Vyborg gas pipeline}}
Nord Stream is fed by the [[Gryazovets–Vyborg gas pipeline]]. It is a part of the integrated gas transport network of Russia that connects the existing grid in [[Gryazovets]] with the coastal compressor station at [[Vyborg]].<ref name="FAQNS2">{{cite web
 | publisher = Nord Stream AG
 | title = Answers to questions asked by representatives of non-governmental organizations on the EIA procedure for the Nord Stream Project
 | url = http://www.ccb.se/documents/FAQNS.pdf
 | date = 20 October 2007
 | access-date = 15 February 2008
 | archive-date = 16 February 2008
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080216043431/http://www.ccb.se/documents/FAQNS.pdf
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> The length of the pipeline is {{convert|917|km|mi|abbr=on}}. The diameter of the pipe is {{convert|1420|mm|in|abbr=on}}, and its working pressure is {{convert|100|atm|MPa|abbr=on}}, which is secured by six compressor stations. The Gryazovets-Vyborg pipeline, parallel to the branch of the [[Northern Lights pipeline]] (Gryazovets–Leningrad and Leningrad–Vyborg–Russian-state-border pipelines), also supplies gas to the [[Northwestern Federal District|Northwestern region]] of Russia, which includes [[Saint Petersburg]] and [[Leningrad Oblast]].<ref name="gazprom3">
{{cite web
 | publisher= Gazprom
 | title = Nord Stream Gas Pipeline
 | url=http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article18466.shtml
 | access-date=3 August 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070708071739/http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article18466.shtml
 | archive-date = 8 July 2007
| url-status = dead}}
</ref> The pipeline is operated by Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg.<ref name="gazprom3"/>

===Baltic Sea offshore pipeline===
[[File:Nord Stream pipe in Kotka.jpg|thumb|A piece of Nord Stream pipe on public display in Kotka, Finland]]
[[File:Castoro Sei March 2011a.JPG|thumb|right|The semi-submersible pipe-laying vessel ''[[Castoro Sei]]'' operating for Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea south-east of Gotland, Sweden, in late March 2011]]
[[File:Nord Stream - two pipes are welded together on the Castoro Sei pipelaying vessel.jpg|thumb|Two pipes are welded together on the Castoro Sei pipelaying vessel.]]
The Nord Stream offshore pipeline is operated by Nord Stream AG.<ref name="nordstream2"/><ref name=bloomberg2/> It runs from the Vyborg compressor station at Portovaya Bay along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to Greifswald, Germany. The length of the subsea pipeline is {{convert|1222|km|mi|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|1.5|km|abbr=on}} are on Russian inland, {{convert|121.8|km|nmi|abbr=on}} in Russian territorial waters, {{convert|1.4|km|nmi|1|abbr=on}} in the Russian economic zone, {{convert|375.3|km|nmi|abbr=on}} in the Finnish economic zone, {{convert|506.4|km|nmi|abbr=on}} in the Swedish economic zone, {{convert|87.7|km|nmi|abbr=on}} in Danish territorial waters, {{convert|49.4|km|nmi|abbr=on}} in the Danish economic zone, {{convert|31.2|km|nmi|abbr=on}} in the German economic zone, {{convert|49.9|km|nmi|abbr=on}} in German territorial waters, and {{convert|0.5|km|abbr=on}} on German inland.<ref name=eia-ch3>
{{cite web
 | url = https://www.nord-stream.com/download/document/74/?language=en
 | title = Nord Stream Espoo Report. Chapter 4: Description of the Project
 | publisher = Nord Stream AG
 | page = 106
 | format = PDF
 | year = 2009
 | access-date = 19 June 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150619174631/https://www.nord-stream.com/download/document/74/?language=en
 | archive-date = 19 June 2015
| url-status = live}}
</ref>

The pipeline has two parallel lines, both with a capacity of {{convert|27.5|e9m3|e9cuft|abbr=unit}} of natural gas per year.<ref name="reuters190615b">{{cite news | work = Reuters | title = Russia's Gazprom to expand Nord Stream gas pipeline with E.ON, Shell, OMV | first1 = Dmitry | last1 = Zhdannikov | first2 = Denis | last2 = Pinchuk | url= http://uk.reuters.com/article/energy-gazprom-pipeline-idUKL5N0Z42OB20150618 | date = 12 December 2008 | access-date= 19 June 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150619183146/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/18/energy-gazprom-pipeline-idUKL5N0Z42OB20150618 | archive-date = 19 June 2015 | url-status = dead}}</ref> Pipes have a diameter of about {{cvt|1220|mm|in}}, and wall thicknesses of {{cvt|41|,|38|and|26.8|mm|in|2}} with corresponding working pressures of {{cvt|220|,|200|and|170|bar|MPa psi}}.<ref name="nordstream2">{{cite web |publisher= Nord Stream AG |title=Nord Stream. Facts & Figures |url=http://www.nord-stream.com/en/the-pipeline/facts-figures.html |access-date=2007-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104181103/http://www.nord-stream.com/en/the-pipeline/facts-figures.html |archive-date=2011-01-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Middle and Western European pipelines===
{{main|OPAL pipeline|NEL pipeline}}
Nord Stream is connected to two transmission pipelines in Germany. The southern pipeline (OPAL pipeline) runs from Greifswald to Olbernhau near the Germany–[[Czech Republic]] border. It connects Nord Stream with [[JAGAL]] (connected to the [[Yamal-Europe pipeline]]) and [[STEGAL]] (connected to the Russian gas transport route via Czechia and [[Slovakia]]) transmission pipelines. The [[Gazelle pipeline]], put into operation in January 2013,<ref>[https://archive.today/20130629121756/http://www.icis.com/heren/articles/2013/04/24/9662298/czech-nord-stream-natural-gas-link-gazela-flowing-at-full.html Czech Nord Stream natural gas link Gazela flowing at full capacity, ICIS 24 Apr 2013] retrieved 28 April 2013</ref> links the OPAL pipeline with the gas network in southern Germany.

The western pipeline ([[NEL pipeline]]) runs from Greifswald to [[Achim]], where it is connected with the [[Rehden–Hamburg gas pipeline]].<ref name=upstream7>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/europe/article130087.ece
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201556/http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/europe/article130087.ece
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 27 September 2007
| title = Wingas plans Nord Stream double
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | date = 27 March 2007
 | access-date = 3 August 2007
 | url-access = subscription}}
</ref> Together with the [[MIDAL]] pipeline, it creates the Greifswald–[[Bunde, Germany|Bunde]] connection. Further gas delivery to the [[United Kingdom]] is made through the connection between Bunde and [[Den Helder]], and from there through the offshore interconnector Balgzand–[[Bacton, Norfolk|Bacton]] ([[BBL Pipeline]]).

==Supply sources==
[[File:Countries by Natural Gas Proven Reserves (2014).svg|thumb|250px|Countries by [[List of countries by natural gas proven reserves|natural gas proven reserves]] (2014), based on data from The World Factbook. Russia has the world's largest reserves.]]

Russia's West Siberian petroleum basin is the source location for Nord Stream. The [[Yuzhno-Russkoye field]], which is located in the Krasnoselkupsky District, [[Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug]], [[Tyumen Oblast]], was designated as the main source of natural gas for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.<ref name=euobserver>
{{cite news
 | url = http://euobserver.com/9/27449
 | title = Nord Stream to pump EU gas by 2011, Russia says
 | author = Philippa Runner
 | publisher = EUobserver
 | date = 21 January 2009
 | access-date = 10 October 2009}}
</ref><ref name=eurasia>{{cite news
 | url = http://www.oilandgaseurasia.com/articles/p/66/article/530/
 | title = Gazprom and BASF Start Joint Production at Yuzhno-Russkoye Gas Field
 | author = Elena Zhuk
 | work = Oil & Gas Eurasia
 | publisher = Eurasia Press, Inc.
 | date = January 2008
 | access-date = 10 October 2009
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080908000202/http://www.oilandgaseurasia.com/articles/p/66/article/530/
 | archive-date = 8 September 2008
 | url-status = dead}}
</ref><ref name=ns-gas>
{{cite web
 |url = http://www.nord-stream.com/the-pipeline/gas-for-europe.html
 |title = Gas for Europe
 |publisher = [[Nord Stream AG]]
 |access-date = 10 October 2009
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091008020039/http://www.nord-stream.com/the-pipeline/gas-for-europe.html
 |archive-date = 8 October 2009
 |df = dmy-all}}
</ref> Nord Stream 1 and 2 are also fed from fields in the Yamal Peninsula, namely [[Gulf of Ob|Ob and Taz bays]]. It was predicted that the majority of the gas from Russia's offshore [[Shtokman field]] would also be sold to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline following the completion a pipeline connection across the [[Kola peninsula]] to Volkhov or Vyborg.<ref name=bbc2>
{{cite news
 | author=Jorn Madslien
 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6035811.stm
 | title = Shock as Russia goes solo on gas field
 | work = BBC News
 | date = 9 October 2006
| access-date = 3 August 2007}}
</ref> However, the Shtokman project was postponed indefinitely.

The proposed gas route from Russia's [[West Siberian petroleum basin]] to China is known as the [[Altai gas pipeline|Power of Siberia 2]] pipeline.<ref>{{cite news |title='Power of Siberia 2' Pipeline Could See Europe, China Compete for Russian Gas |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/power-of-siberia-2-pipeline-could-see-europe-china-compete-for-russian-gas-/6402242.html |work=VOA News |date=18 January 2022}}</ref> For Russia, the pipeline allows another economic partnership in the face of resistance to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia's 'Gas Pivot' to China Poses Challenge for Europe |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-gas-pivot-to-china-poses-challenge-for-europe/6375859.html |work=VOA News |date=30 December 2021}}</ref>

==Costs and financing==
According to Gazprom, the costs of the onshore pipelines in Russia and Germany were around €6&nbsp;billion.<ref name=iht>
{{cite news
 | newspaper= [[The New York Times]]
 | first = Judy | last = Dempsey
 | title = Gazprom plans to re-route controversial European pipeline
 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/world/europe/23iht-pipeline.4.7231553.html
 | date = 23 August 2007
| access-date=10 September 2011}}
</ref> The offshore section of the project cost €8.8&nbsp;billion.<ref name=barents170310>{{cite news
 | url = http://www.barentsobserver.com/nord-stream-more-expensive.4760460-116321.html
 | title = Nord Stream more expensive
 | publisher = Barents Observer
 | date = 17 March 2010
| access-date = 18 March 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110707213810/http://www.barentsobserver.com/nord-stream-more-expensive.4760460-116321.html
 | archive-date = 7 July 2011
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref> 30% of the financing was raised through equity provided by shareholders in proportion to their stakes in the project, while 70% was obtained from external financing by banks.<ref name=reuters120310>
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-loan-idUKLDE62A20X20100312
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181203155501/https://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-loan-idUKLDE62A20X20100312
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 3 December 2018
 | title = RLPC-Nord Stream project financing signing&nbsp;— sources
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | date = 21 October 2009
| access-date = 1 November 2009
| first=Christopher | last=Mangham}}
</ref>

There were two [[tranche]]s of fundraising.<ref name=gazprom160310/><ref name=independent290309>
{{cite news
 | first = Mark | last = Leftly
 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gazprom-in-nord-stream-windfall-1656470.html
 | title = Gazprom in Nord Stream windfall
 | newspaper = The Independent
 | date = 29 March 2009
| access-date = 19 April 2009
| location=London}} {{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
</ref> The first tranche, totaling €3.9&nbsp;billion, included a €3.1&nbsp;billion, 16-year facility covered by [[Export credit agency|export credit agencies]] and an €800&nbsp;million, 10-year uncovered commercial loan to be serviced by earnings from the transportation contracts. A further €1.6&nbsp;billion is covered by French credit insurance company [[Euler Hermes]], €1&nbsp;billion by German loan guarantee program UFK, and €500&nbsp;million by Italian export credit agency SACE SpA. [[Crédit Agricole]] is the documentation bank and bank facility agent.<ref name=reuters120310/><ref name=gazprom160310/>

[[Société Générale]] is the intercreditor agent, Sace facility agent, security trustee, and model bank. [[Commerzbank]] is the Hermes facility agent, [[UniCredit]] is the UFK facility agent, [[Deutsche Bank]] is the account bank, and [[Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation]] is the technical and environmental bank.<ref name=reuters120310/><ref name=gazprom160310/> The financial advisers were Société Générale, [[Royal Bank of Scotland]] ([[ABN Amro]]), [[Dresdner Kleinwort]] (Commerzbank), and Unicredit.<ref name=euromoney140409>
{{cite news
 | first = Louise | last = Bowman
 | url = http://www.euromoney.com/Article/2174599/ChannelPage/8959/AssetCategory/766/Nord-Stream-looks-for-flows-in-funding-pipeline.html
 | title = Nord Stream looks for flows in funding pipeline
 | publisher = Euromoney
 | date = 14 April 2009
| access-date = 19 April 2009}}
</ref><ref name=reuters211009>
{{cite news
 | first1 = Alasdair | last1 = Reilly
 | first2 = Christopher | last2 = Mangham
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLL801420091021
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100108032002/http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLL801420091021
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 8 January 2010
 | title = RLPC-Nord Stream project financing nears agreement-sources
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | date = 21 October 2009
| access-date = 1 November 2009}}
</ref> The legal adviser to Nord Stream was [[White & Case]], and legal adviser for the lenders was [[Clifford Chance]].<ref name=gazprom160310>
{{cite press release
 | url = http://www.gazprom.com/press/news/2010/march/article87053/
 | title = Nord Stream completes Phase I financing
 | publisher = [[Gazprom]]
 | date = 16 March 2010
| access-date = 18 March 2010}}
</ref>

==Contractors==
The environmental impact assessment of Nord Stream 1 was carried out by [[Rambøll]] and Environmental Resource Management. The route and seabed surveys were conducted by Marin Mätteknik, IfAÖ, PeterGaz, and [[DOF Subsea]].<ref name=upstream170708/><ref name=wintershall2>
{{cite press release
 | url = http://www.wintershall.com/pi-nord-stream-081023.html
 | title = Nord Stream Project Well On Track
 | publisher = [[Wintershall]]
 | date = 21 October 2008
| access-date = 17 November 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606143857/http://www.wintershall.com/pi-nord-stream-081023.html
 | archive-date = 6 June 2011
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

Preliminary [[Front End Loading|front-end engineering]] was done by Intec Engineering.<ref name=ogj101006>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.ogj.com/articles/save_screen.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=274364
 | title = Gazprom to develop Shtokman alone, pipe gas to Europe
 | first1 = Judy | last1 = Clark
 | first2 = Nina | last2 = Rach
 | publisher= [[PennWell Corporation]]
 | newspaper= Oil & Gas Journal
 | date = 10 October 2006
| access-date = 31 January 2009
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref> The design engineering of the subsea pipeline was done by Snamprogetti (now part of Saipem) and the pipeline was constructed by Saipem.<ref name=facts1>{{cite journal
 | publisher = Nord Stream AG
 | title = Leading engineering company to prepare detailed design
 | url = https://www.nord-stream.com/download/document/39/?language=en
 | format = PDF
 | journal = Nord Stream Facts
 | issue = 1
 | date = April 2007
 | access-date = 22 February 2022
}} [https://www.nord-stream.com/press-info/library/?pk=39 Source]</ref><ref name=reuters240608>
{{cite news
 | work= Reuters
 | title = Saipem wins 1 bln euro Nord Stream contract
 | url= http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL2415483820080624
 | archive-url= https://archive.today/20130105052111/http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL2415483820080624
 | url-status= dead
 | archive-date= 5 January 2013
 | date = 24 June 2008
| access-date=11 July 2008
| first=Ian
| last=Simpson}}
</ref> Saipem subcontracted [[Allseas]] to lay more than 25% of both pipelines. The seabed was prepared for the laying of the pipeline by a joint venture of Royal Boskalis Westminster and Tideway.<ref name=downstream090109>
{{cite news
 | url = https://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/149232/boskalis_wins_nord_stream_saudi_contracts/
 | title = Boskalis Wins Nord Stream, Saudi Contracts
 | agency = [[Agence France-Presse|AFX News Limited]]
 | work = Rigzone
 | date = 9 January 2009
| access-date = 5 May 2011}}
</ref> The pipes were provided by EUROPIPE, OMK, and Sumitomo.<ref name="wintershall2509">{{cite press release
 | publisher= Wintershall
 | title= Nord Stream decided on Pipe Tender
 | url= http://www.wintershall.com/nord-stream-pi-070925.html
 | date= 25 September 2007
| access-date= 30 September 2007
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110606143753/http://www.wintershall.com/nord-stream-pi-070925.html
 | archive-date= 6 June 2011
| url-status= dead
 }}</ref><ref name=reuters220110/>

Concrete weight coating and logistics services were provided by EUPEC PipeCoatings S.A. For the concrete weight coating, new coating plants were constructed in [[Sassnitz|Mukran]] (Germany) and [[Kotka]] (Finland).<ref name=rigzone1>
{{cite news
 | publisher= Rigzone
 | title = Sustainable Investment in Logistics around the Baltic Region
 | url= http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=56979
 | date = 18 February 2008
| access-date=19 February 2008}}
</ref> [[Rolls-royce plc|Rolls-Royce plc]] supplied eight [[Gas turbine#Aeroderivative gas turbines|aeroderivative gas turbines]] driving [[centrifugal compressor]]s for front-end gas boosting at the Vyborg (Portovaya) [[Compressor station|gas compressor station]].<ref name=downstream301208>
{{cite press release
 | url = https://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/149231/Gazprom_Awards_Compressor_Contract_for_Nord_Stream_Pipeline_to_RollsRoyce/
 | title = Gazprom Awards Compressor Contract for Nord Stream Pipeline to Rolls-Royce
 | publisher = Rolls-Royce plc
 | via = Rigzone
 | date = 30 December 2008
| access-date = 11 January 2009}}
</ref> [[Dresser Industries|Dresser-Rand Group]] supplied DATUM compressors. Siirtec Nigi SPA provided a gas treatment unit for the Portovaya station.<ref name=upstream130109>
{{cite news
 | url = https://www.upstreamonline.com/online/dresser-rand-bags-200m-in-contracts/1-1-1102474
 | title = Dresser-Rand bags $200m in contracts
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | date = 13 January 2009
| access-date = 31 January 2009
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref><ref name=ogj050309>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/355330/articles/oil-gas-journal/transportation/nord-stream-lets-gas-treatment-unit.html
 | title = Nord Stream lets gas treatment unit
 | first = Uchenna | last = Izundu
 | publisher= [[PennWell Corporation]]
 | newspaper= Oil & Gas Journal
 | date = 5 March 2009
| access-date = 19 April 2009
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref>

For the construction period, Nord Stream AG created a logistic center in [[Gotland]]. Other interim stockyards are located in Mukran, Kotka, [[Hanko, Finland|Hanko]] (Finland), and [[Karlskrona]] (Sweden).<ref name=rigzone1/>

==Project companies==
[[File:Nord-Stream-Office-Zug.jpg|thumb|Nord Stream 1 office building in Zug, Switzerland]]
Nord Stream 1 is operated by the special-purpose company Nord Stream AG, incorporated in [[Zug, Switzerland]], in November 2005. Shareholders of the company are the Russian gas company Gazprom (51% of shares), the German companies Wintershall Dea and PEG Infrastruktur AG (E.ON) (both 15.5%), the Dutch gas company Gasunie (9%), and the French gas company Engie (9%).<ref name="nordstream2"/><ref name=bloomberg2/> The chairman of the shareholders' committee is German ex-chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]].

==Transportation contracts==
In October 2005, Gazprom signed a contract with German gas company [[Wingas]]—a then joint venture of Gazprom and Wintershall (a subsidiary of [[BASF]])—to supply {{convert|9|e9m3|e9cuft|abbr=off}} of natural gas per year for 25&nbsp;years.<ref name=wingas>{{cite press release
 | url = http://www.wingas.de/160.html?&L=1
 | title = Gazexport and WINGAS agree upon first deliveries of natural gas through the Northern European Gas Pipeline
 | publisher = [[Wingas]]
 | date = 13 October 2005
| access-date = 16 February 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719114449/http://www.wingas.de/160.html?&L=1
 | archive-date = 19 July 2011
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

In June 2006, Gazprom and Danish [[Ørsted (company)|Ørsted A/S]] (then named DONG Energy) signed a twenty-year contract for the delivery of {{convert|1|e9m3|e9cuft|abbr=unit}} Russian gas per year to Denmark. Additionally, under a separate fifteen-year agreement, Ørsted would supply {{convert|600|e6m3|e9cuft|abbr=unit}} natural gas per year to the Gazprom subsidiary, Gazprom Marketing and Trading, in the United Kingdom.<ref name="dong">
{{cite press release
 | url = https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=168103
 | title = Gazprom to deliver gas to Denmark via North European Gas Pipeline
 | publisher = [[Ørsted (company)|Ørsted A/S]]
 | format = PDF
 | date = 19 June 2006
| access-date = 16 December 2007}}
</ref> In October 2009, the companies signed a contract to double the delivery to Denmark.<ref name="reuters011009">
{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKDKT00465120091001
 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130104175728/http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKDKT00465120091001
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 4 January 2013
 | title = Dong Energy says to double Gazprom gas deliveries from 2012
 | author = Peter Levring
 | work = Reuters
 | date = 1 October 2009
| access-date = 7 November 2009}}
</ref>

In August 2006, Gazprom and E.ON Ruhrgas signed an agreement to extend current contracts on natural gas supplies and signed a new contract for an additional {{convert|4|e9m3|e9cuft|abbr=unit}} per year through the Nord Stream pipeline.<ref name="eon">{{cite press release
 | url = http://www.gazprom.ru/eng/news/2006/08/20805.shtml
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111223122432/https://www.gazprom.com/press/news/2006/august/article63576/
 | archive-date = 23 December 2011
 | title = Gazprom and E.ON prolong the existing contracts and sign contract for gas sypply via the NEGP
 | publisher = Gazprom
 | date = 29 August 2006
| access-date = 18 May 2008
}}</ref> In December 2006, Gazprom and [[Gaz de France]] (now GDF Suez) agreed to an additional {{convert|2.5|e9m3|e9cuft|abbr=unit}} gas supply through Nord Stream.<ref name="oilvoice1">
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.oilvoice.com/n/Gaz_de_France_and_Gazprom_Extend_Their_Natural_Gas_Supply_Ag/24fe3033.aspx
 | title = Gaz de France and Gazprom Extend Their Natural Gas Supply Agreements until 2030
 | publisher = Oil Voice
 | date = 19 December 2006
| access-date = 16 December 2007}}
</ref>

==Controversies==
The pipeline projects were criticized by some countries, geopolitical analysts, and environmental organizations (such as the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]]).<ref>
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.ogel.org/article.asp?key=2889
 | title = Russian Energy Strategy and Transit Routes in Eastern Europe&nbsp;— A View from Warsaw
 | first = Aleksander | last = Kotlowski
 | publisher = MARIS B.V.
 | journal = Oil, Gas & Energy Law Intelligence
 | volume = 7
 | issue = 2 (special issue on 'EU&nbsp;– Russia relations')
 | date = 9 June 2009
| access-date = 9 June 2009
| issn = 1875-418X
 | url-access = subscription}}
</ref><ref name="ft2">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50e6faec-6779-11db-8ea5-0000779e2340.html
 | first1 = Fidelius | last1 = Schmid
 | first2 = Wolfgang | last2 = Proissl
 | title = US criticises Russia-Germany gas deal
 | newspaper = Financial Times
 | date = 29 October 2006
| access-date = 2 August 2007}}
</ref><ref name="reuters2" /><ref name="helcom" /><ref name="riigikogu" />

===Political aspects===
{{See also|Russia in the European energy sector}}
[[File:Major russian gas pipelines to europe.png|thumb|270px|Major existing and planned natural gas pipelines supplying Russian gas to Europe]]
Opponents have seen the pipeline as a move by Russia to bypass traditional transit countries (currently Ukraine, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Belarus, and Poland).<ref name="heritage">{{cite web | url = http://s3.amazonaws.com/thf_media/2006/pdf/bg1980.pdf | first = Ariel | last = Cohen | title = The North European Gas Pipeline Threatens Europe's Energy Security | publisher = [[The Heritage Foundation]] | date = 26 October 2006 | access-date = 4 October 2010}}</ref> Some transit countries are concerned that a long-term plan of the [[Government of Russia|Kremlin]] is to attempt to exert political influence on them by threatening their gas supply without affecting supplies to Western Europe.<ref name="dw2">{{cite news | url = http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2679905,00.html | title = New Twists and Turns in German-Russian Gas Pipeline Saga | work = [[Deutsche Welle]] |date = 13 July 2007| access-date = 3 August 2007}}
</ref><ref name="upstream9">
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | title = Delays hit Nord Stream plans
 | url= http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article143622.ece
 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081012060350/http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article143622.ece
 | url-status= dead
 | archive-date= 12 October 2008
| date = 6 November 2007
| access-date=10 November 2007
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref> The fears are strengthened by the fact that Russia has refused to ratify the [[Energy Charter Treaty]]. Critics of Nord Stream say that Europe has become dangerously dependent on Russian natural gas, particularly since Russia could face problems meeting a surge in domestic as well as foreign demand.<ref name="iht2">{{cite news | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/world/europe/06iht-pipeline.4.12622476.html | title = Gas pipeline under the Baltic faces many hurdles | first = Judy | last = Dempsey | newspaper = [[The New York Times]]
 | date = 6 May 2008 | access-date = 18 May 2008
| url-access = limited}}</ref><ref name="whist">{{cite web |url = http://www.fni.no/doc&pdf/FNI-R1508.pdf
 |title = Nord Stream: Not Just a Pipeline |first = Bendik
 |last = Solum Whist |publisher = [[Fridtjof Nansen Institute]] |date = November 2008
 |access-date = 7 November 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110720032209/http://www.fni.no/doc%26pdf/FNI-R1508.pdf |archive-date = 20 July 2011 |url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="balticseasecurity">{{cite journal
 |url = http://www.ii.umich.edu/UMICH/ceseuc/Home/ACADEMICS/Research%20Projects/Energy%20Security%20in%20Europe%20and%20Eurasia/Nord%20Stream,%20Sweden%20and%20Baltic%20Sea%20Security.pdf |title = Nord Stream, Sweden and Baltic Sea Security |first = Robert L. |last = Larsson
 |journal = Proceedings of the ... Swedish American Workshop on Modeling and Simulation: Sawmas |publisher = [[Swedish Defence Research Agency|Swedish Defense Research Agency]] |date = March 2007 |access-date = 7 November 2009 |issn = 1650-1942 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100614223308/http://www.ii.umich.edu/UMICH/ceseuc/Home/ACADEMICS/Research%20Projects/Energy%20Security%20in%20Europe%20and%20Eurasia/Nord%20Stream,%20Sweden%20and%20Baltic%20Sea%20Security.pdf |archive-date = 14 June 2010 |url-status = dead}}</ref> Some argue that Nordstream is an effort "to build expensive export infrastructure where the costs are unlikely to be recoverable all in order to avoid running gas supplies through transit states."<ref name="riley08">{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=Alan |title=Nordstream: An Economic and Market Analysis of the North European Pipeline Project |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/peti20080129_economicanalysisriley_/PETI20080129_EconomicAnalysisRiley_en.pdf |publisher=European Commission |date=2008}}</ref><ref name="whist08">{{cite news |last1=Whist |first1=Bendik Solum |title=Nord Stream: Not Just a Pipeline An analysis of the political debates in the Baltic Sea region regarding the planned gas pipeline from Russia to Germany |url=https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/94432/2008_Nord%20Stream.pdf |publisher=Fridtjof Nansen Institute |date=2008}}</ref> Others caution it is a form of Russian imperialism.<ref name="als08">{{cite news |last1=Łoskot-Strachota |first1=Agata |last2=Pełczyńska-Nałęcz |first2=Katarzyna |title=Gazprom's expansion in the EU – co-operation or domination? |url=http://aei.pitt.edu/57997/1/gp_eu_en_.pdf |publisher=OŚRODEK STUDIÓW WSCHODNICH |date=April 2008}}</ref>

In 2021, 45% of Europe's gas imports came from Russia.<ref name=IEA2022/>
Following several [[Russia–Ukraine gas disputes]] over gas prices, as well as foreign policy toward Eastern Europe, it has been noted that the gas supplied by Russia can be used as a political tool.<ref name="time">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5458245.ece
 | title = Gazprom is not a market player, it's a political weapon
 | newspaper = [[The Times]]
 | date = 7 January 2009
| access-date = 7 January 2009
| location=London
 | first=Roger | last=Boyes}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
</ref>

A [[Swedish Defence Research Agency|Swedish Defense Research Agency]] study, finished in March 2007, counted over 55&nbsp;incidents{{clarify|reason=What does the word incidents refer to?|date=February 2022}}{{vague|date=February 2022}} since 1991, most with "both political and economic underpinnings".<ref name="whist" /><ref name="balticseasecurity" /> In April 2006, [[Radosław Sikorski]], then [[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Poland's defense minister]], compared the project to the infamous 1939 Nazi–Soviet [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]].<ref name="VOA">{{cite news
 | url = https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-polish-defense-minister-pipeline-remark-angers-germany/327455.html
 | title = Polish Defense Minister's Pipeline Remark Angers Germany
 | publisher = Voice of America Online
 | date = 3 May 2006
| access-date = 4 October 2010}}
</ref> In his book ''The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West'', published in 2008, [[Edward Lucas (journalist)|Edward Lucas]] stated, "though Nord Stream's backers insist that the project is business pure and simple, this would be easier to believe if it were more transparent".<ref name="whist" />

In a report published by the [[Fridtjof Nansen Institute]] in 2008, Norwegian researcher Bendik Solum Whist noted that Nord Stream AG was incorporated in Switzerland, "whose strict banking secrecy laws makes the project less transparent than it would have been if based within the EU".<ref name="whist" /> Secondly, the Russian energy sector "in general lacks transparency" and Gazprom "is no exception".<ref name="whist" />

Russian responses have argued that the pipeline increases Europe's [[energy security]] and that the criticism is caused by bitterness about the loss of significant transit revenues, as well as the loss of political influence that stems from the transit countries' ability to hold Russian gas supplies to Western Europe hostage to their local political agendas.<ref name="BBC_Polish">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4226296.stm | title = Baltic deal worries Polish press | work = [[BBC News]] | date = 8 September 2005| access-date = 18 March 2008}}</ref> As the first direct connection to Western Europe, the Nord Stream pipeline would reduce Russia's dependence on the transit countries.<ref name="iht2" /> According to Gazprom, this direct connection to Germany would decrease risks in the gas transit zones, including the political risk of cutting off Russian gas exports to Western Europe.<ref name="gazprom">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article20334.shtml | title = Strategy for the Energy Sector Leadership. Speech by Alexey Miller at the Gazprom's annual general shareholders' meeting | publisher = Gazprom | date = 30 June 2006| access-date = 2 August 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928081753/http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article20334.shtml | archive-date = 28 September 2007
| url-status = dead}}
</ref>

In response to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the [[European Commission]] and [[International Energy Agency]] presented joint plans to reduce reliance on Russian energy, reduce Russian gas imports by two thirds within a year, and completely by 2030.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weise |first1=Zia |date=8 March 2022 |title=Commission plans to get EU off Russian gas before 2030 |work=POLITICO |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/commission-plan-eu-russia-gas-2030/}}</ref><ref name=IEA2022>{{cite web |author=[[International Energy Agency]] |date=March 2022 |title=A 10-Point Plan to Reduce the European Union's Reliance on Russian Natural Gas |url =https://www.iea.org/reports/a-10-point-plan-to-reduce-the-european-unions-reliance-on-russian-natural-gas |publisher= IEA |location =Paris}}</ref> On 18 May 2022, the European Union published plans to end its reliance on Russian oil, natural gas, and coal by 2027.<ref>{{cite news |title=EU unveils 210 bln euro plan to ditch Russian fossil fuels |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/eu-unveils-escape-route-russian-fossil-fuels-by-2027-2022-05-18/ |work=Reuters |date=18 May 2022}}</ref>

===Security and military aspects===
Swedish military experts and several politicians, including former [[Minister for Defence (Sweden)|Minister for Defense]] [[Mikael Odenberg]], have stated that the pipeline may cause a security policy problem for Sweden.<ref name="spiegel5">{{cite news | url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,448652,00.html | title = Baltic Sea Pipeline: Sweden Afraid of Russian Spooks | first = Alex | last = Bakst | newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]] | date = 15 November 2006 | access-date = 18 May 2008}}</ref> According to Odenberg, the pipeline motivates the Russian Navy's presence in the Swedish economic zone, and Russia could use this for gathering [[military intelligence]], if desired.<ref name="dagensnyheter">{{cite news | url = http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=588619 | title = Rysk gasledning säkerhetspolitiskt problem | trans-title = Russian gas pipeline is a security problem | newspaper = [[Dagens Nyheter]] | date = 14 November 2006 | access-date = 2 August 2007 | language = sv | archive-date = 1 October 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001150104/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=588619 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Finnish military scholar Alpo Juntunen has said that even though the political discussion over Nord Stream in Finland concentrates on the various ecological aspects, there are clearly military implications to the pipeline that are not discussed openly in Finland.<ref name="postimees">{{cite news | url = http://www.postimees.ee/?id=67543 | title = Soome dotsent: Nord Streamil on sõjaline tähendus
 |trans-title=Nord Stream has military implications
 | newspaper = Postimees | date = 10 January 2009
| access-date = 10 January 2009| language = et}}
</ref>

More political concerns were raised when Vladimir Putin stated that the ecological safety of the pipeline project will be ensured by using the [[Baltic Fleet]] of the [[Russian Navy]].<ref name="interfax">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/707474/russian_navy_to_ensure_nord_stream_ecology__putin/index.html
 | title = Russian navy to ensure Nord Stream ecology—Putin
 | agency = [[Interfax]]
 | date = 25 October 2006
| access-date = 2 August 2007}}</ref> German weekly ''[[Stern (magazine)|Stern]]'' has reported that the [[Fibre Optic|fibre optic]] cable and repeater stations along the pipeline could theoretically also be used for espionage. Nord Stream AG asserted that a fibre optic control cable was neither necessary nor technically planned.<ref name="stern">{{cite news | url = http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/:Schr%F6ders-Pipeline-Spionagekanal-Ostsee/611094.html | title = Schröders Pipeline. Spionagekanal in der Ostsee? | trans-title = Schröder's pipeline. Espionage channel in the Baltic Sea? | first = Hans-Martin | last = Tillack | newspaper = Stern | date = 13 February 2008 | access-date = 18 May 2008 | language = de}}</ref>

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Gazprom [[Alexander Medvedev]] has dismissed these concerns, stating that "some objections are put forward that are laughable – political, military, or linked to spying. That is really surprising because in the modern world… it is laughable to say a gas-pipeline is a weapon in a spy-war".<ref name="upstream1">{{cite news | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article138001.ece | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201444/http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article138001.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = 27 September 2007 | title = Gazprom seeking Shtokman partners | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]] | publisher = NHST Media Group | date = 28 July 2007 | access-date = 2 August 2007 | url-access = subscription}}</ref>

===Economic aspects===
Russian and German officials have claimed that the pipeline leads to economic savings due to the elimination of transit fees (as transit countries would be bypassed), and a higher operating pressure of the offshore pipeline which leads to lower operating costs (by eliminating the necessity for expensive midway compressor stations).<ref name="NSQA2">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.nord-stream.com/en/the-pipeline/faq0/faq-economic0.html
 | title = Nord Stream. Questions and Answers. Economic and Financial aspects
 | publisher = Nord Stream AG
 | date = 1 February 2007
| access-date = 6 April 2007
}} {{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> According to [[Ukrtransgaz]] in 2011, Ukraine alone will lose natural gas transit fees of up to $720&nbsp;million per year from Nord Stream 1.<ref name="upi200511">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/05/20/Nord-Stream-costs-Ukraine-720-million/UPI-83611305917575/
 | title = Nord Stream costs Ukraine $720&nbsp;million
 | agency = [[United Press International|UPI]]
 | date = 20 May 2011
| access-date = 26 May 2011}}
</ref>

According to the [[Naftogaz]] chairman in 2019, Ukraine will lose $3&nbsp;billion per year of natural gas transit fees from Nord Stream 2.<ref name="ukrinform240719">{{cite news
 | url = https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-economy/2539238-ukraine-to-lose-3-bln-a-year-if-nord-stream-2-is-built-kobolev.html
 | title = Ukraine to lose $3&nbsp;billion a year if Nord Stream 2 is built - Kobolev
 | agency = [[Ukrinform]]
 | date = 24 July 2019
| access-date = 24 July 2019}}
</ref> Gazprom has stated that it will divert {{convert|20|e9m3|e9cuft|abbr=unit}} of natural gas transported through Ukraine to Nord Stream.<ref name="reuters250511">{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/russia-nord-stream-idAFLDE74O1XA20110525
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181126210506/https://uk.reuters.com/article/russia-nord-stream-idAFLDE74O1XA20110525
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 26 November 2018
 | first = Jessica | last = Bachman
 | title = Russia to divert 20 bcm of gas from Ukraine to Nord Stream
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | date = 25 May 2011
| access-date = 26 May 2011}}
</ref> Opponents say that the maintenance costs of a submarine pipeline are higher than for an overland route. In 1998, former Gazprom chairman [[Rem Vyakhirev]] claimed that the project was economically unfeasible.<ref name="kommersant2">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.kommersant.com/p776130/r_527/Gazprom_moves_towards_becoming_a_world_energy_giant/ | first = Natalya | last = Grib | title = Plus Gasification of Entire Europe | newspaper = [[Kommersant]] | date = 12 July 2007 | access-date = 26 August 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181854/http://www.kommersant.com/p776130/r_527/Gazprom_moves_towards_becoming_a_world_energy_giant/ | archive-date = 30 September 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

As the Nord Stream pipeline crosses the waterway to Polish ports in [[Szczecin]] and [[Świnoujście]], there were concerns that it would reduce the depth of the waterway leading to the ports.<ref>{{Cite news
 |title=A Terminal Disagreement Between Poland and Germany |date=7 September 2010
|url=http://corporateforeignpolicy.com/corporate-foreign-policy/a-terminal-disagreement-between-poland-and-germany
 |access-date=6 September 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008194202/http://corporateforeignpolicy.com/corporate-foreign-policy/a-terminal-disagreement-between-poland-and-germany
 |archive-date=8 October 2011
|url-status=dead
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | url=https://blogs.wsj.com/new-europe/2010/01/25/poland-sits-still-as-nord-stream-prepares-to-block-sea-port/
 | work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]
 | first=Marcin | last=Sobczyk
 | title=Poland Sits Still as Nord Stream Prepares to Block Sea Port
 | date=25 January 2010
| access-date =6 September 2011}}
</ref><ref name="wbj160511">{{cite news
 |url = http://www.wbj.pl/article-54536-squeezed-by-nord-stream.html
 |work = [[Warsaw Business Journal]]
 |first = Brendan
 |last = Melck
 |title = Squeezed by Nord Stream
 |date = 16 May 2011
|access-date = 6 September 2011
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120329141037/http://www.wbj.pl/article-54536-squeezed-by-nord-stream.html
 |archive-date = 29 March 2012
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> However, in 2011, the then-prime minister of Poland, [[Donald Tusk]], as well as several experts, confirmed that the Nord Stream pipeline did not block the development plans of Świnoujście and Szczecin ports.<ref name="wbj160511" /><ref>{{cite news
 | url= http://www.lngworldnews.com/poland-pm-says-nord-stream-will-not-block-development-of-polish-ports/
 | work= LNG World News
 | title= Poland: PM Says Nord Stream Will Not Block Development of Polish Ports
 | date=22 June 2011
| access-date =6 September 2011}}
</ref>

===Environmental aspects===
The pipeline's greatest environmental impact is the increased consumption of natural gas imported to the EU. This conflicts with decarbonization efforts for climate protection. At a nominal capacity of {{convert|55|e9m3|e12cuft|abbr=unit}} per year, each pipe pair can lead to carbon emissions of {{convert|110|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}} of {{co2}} annually.<ref>Conversion with 10.1 kWh/m3 and 0.056 t {{co2}}/GJ</ref> <!--Methane losses during extraction and transport need to be added.-->

The Portovaya compressor station in Russia at the beginning of Nord Stream 1, with a rating of 366 megawatts, is estimated to produce around {{convert|1.5|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}} of {{co2}} emissions per year,<ref>[http://www.gazprom.de/projects/nord-stream/ Nord Stream] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202115532/http://www.gazprom.de/projects/nord-stream/ |date=2 December 2020 }} Retrieved on 7 September 2020, with 40% efficiency of the gas turbines</ref> not including other compressor stations for the gas pipelines within Russia.

Since the pressure loss is proportional to the square of the [[flow velocity]], dividing an unchanged gas transport volume between two Nord Stream systems could save around {{frac|3|4}} of the pumping effort and presumably avoid more than {{convert|1|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}} of {{co2}} emissions annually. Using the discounted {{co2}} damage costs of {{convert|180|€/t|€/lb}} from the [[Umweltbundesamt|German Environment Agency]]{{nbsp}}({{lang|de|Umweltbundesamt}}),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/hohe-kosten-durch-unterlassenen-umweltschutz |title=Hohe Kosten durch unterlassenen Umweltschutz |work=[[Umweltbundesamt]] |date=20 November 2018 }}</ref> this would, after a rough estimate,{{by whom|date=June 2021}}{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} enable the third tube to be amortized within around 20 years from a global point of view. The fourth tube could also possibly be amortized in the hypothetical case of overall optimization of gas flow over various pipelines between Russia and the EU.

The production of over {{convert|2|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}} of steel for the Nord Stream 2 tubes resulted in more than {{convert|3|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}} of {{co2}} emissions, not including the concrete-coating and the associated pipeline sections onshore.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Before construction, there were concerns that during construction the seabed would be disturbed, dislodging [[World War II]]-era [[naval mine]]s and toxic materials including chemical waste, [[chemical weapon|chemical munitions]], and other items dumped in the Baltic Sea in the past decades, and thereby toxic substances could surface from the seabed and damage the Baltics' particularly sensitive ecosystem.<ref name="helcom2">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Publications/OtherPublications/CHEMUFinalReport1995.pdf
 | title = Final Report of the ''ad hoc'' Working Group on Dumped Chemical Munition (HELCOM CHEMU) to the 16th Meeting of the Helsinki Commission
 | publisher = [[HELCOM]]
 | date = March 1995
 | access-date = 2 August 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070705224926/http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Publications/OtherPublications/CHEMUFinalReport1995.pdf
 | archive-date = 5 July 2007
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref><ref name="spiegel3">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,434329,00.html
 | title = Tons of Mercury Found in the Baltic Sea. Europe's Underwater Chemical Dump
 | newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]]
 | date = 30 August 2006
| access-date = 2 August 2007}}
</ref><ref name="spiegel6">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,524139,00.html
 | title = Bad News Blooms in the Baltic: Can a New Cleanup Plan Save the Sea
 | first = Patrick | last = McGroarty
 | newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]]
 | date = 2 January 2008
| access-date = 18 May 2008}}
</ref><ref name="downstream2">
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.downstreamtoday.com/news/article.aspx?a_id=7327
 | title = Gazprom Standing By Nord Stream Plans
 | agency = [[United Press International|UPI]]
 | publisher = Downstream Today
 | date = 27 November 2007
| access-date = 28 November 2007}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=25 March 2010 |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/activists_say_500000_tonnes_of_chemical_weapons_in_baltic/5534180 |title=Activists say 500000 Tons of chemical Weapons in Baltic |work=[[Yle]] |access-date=4 October 2020 }}</ref> Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren demanded that the environmental analysis should include alternative ways of taking the pipeline across the Baltic, as the pipeline is projected to be passing through areas considered environmentally problematic and risky.<ref name="upstream10">
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article143251.ece
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080224032544/http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article143251.ece
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 24 February 2008
| title = Nord Stream hits Swedish hurdle
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | date = 31 October 2007
| access-date = 10 November 2007}}
</ref>

Sweden's three opposition parties called for an examination of the possibility of rerouting the pipeline onto dry land.<ref name="downstream2" /> Finnish environmental groups campaigned to consider a more southern route, claiming that the seabed is flatter there and so construction would be more straightforward, and therefore potentially less disruptive to waste—including [[dioxins and dioxin-like compounds]]—littered on the seabed.<ref name="reuters3">{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUKL2150308920080121
 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130104220927/http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUKL2150308920080121
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 4 January 2013
 | author=Terhi Kinnunen
 | title = Finland tells Nord Stream to study alternative routes
 | work = Reuters
 | date = 21 January 2008
| access-date = 31 January 2008}}
</ref>

Latvian president [[Valdis Zatlers]] said that Nord Stream was environmentally hazardous as, unlike in the [[North Sea]], there is no such water circulation in the Baltic Sea.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} [[Ene Ergma]], Speaker of the [[Riigikogu|Parliament of Estonia]] ({{langx|et|Riigikogu}}), warned that the pipeline work would rip a canal in the seabed which will demand leveling the sand that lies along the way, atomizing volcanic formations and disposing of fill along the bottom of the sea, altering sea currents.<ref name="bellona1" />

The impact on bird and marine life in the Baltic Sea is also a concern, as the Baltic Sea is recognized by the [[International Maritime Organization]] as a particularly sensitive sea area. The [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] requested that countries party to the [[Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission]] (HELCOM) safeguard the Baltic marine habitats, which could be altered by the implementation of the Nord Stream project.<ref name="helcom">{{cite web
 | url = https://portal.helcom.fi/Archive/Shared%20Documents/HABITAT%207-2005-11-3.pdf
 | title = Risk Assessment and an Environmental Impact Assessment for the North European Gas Pipeline Project (NEGP)
 | publisher = [[HELCOM]]
 | date = 3 October 2005
| access-date = 5 June 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160605155610/https://portal.helcom.fi/Archive/Shared%20Documents/HABITAT%207-2005-11-3.pdf
 | archive-date = 5 June 2016
| url-status = live
 }}
</ref> Its Finnish branch said it might file a court case against Nord Stream AG if the company did not properly assess a potential alternative route on the southern side of [[Gogland|Hogland]]. According to Nord Stream AG, this was not a suitable route for the pipeline because of the planned conservation area near Hogland, subsea cables, and a main shipping route.<ref name="reuters2">{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKL1548343620080116?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true
 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130104192807/http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKL1548343620080116?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 4 January 2013
 | first =Terhi | last = Kinnunen
 | title = Finnish court actions could delay Baltic gas link
 | work = [[Reuters]]
 | date = 15 January 2008
| access-date = 31 January 2008}}
</ref>

Russian environmental organizations warned that the ecosystem in the Eastern part of the Gulf of Finland is the most vulnerable part of the Baltic Sea and assumed damage to the island territory of the planned Ingermanland Nature Preserve as a result of laying the pipeline.<ref name="bellona1">{{cite news
 | url = http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2007/Nord_stream
 | author = Galina Raguzina
 | title = While Nord Stream embraces Russia, Estonia will not embrace Nord Stream
 | publisher = [[Bellona Publishing House|Bellona]]
 | date = 2 November 2007
| access-date = 9 August 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081118201643/http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2007/Nord_stream
 | archive-date = 18 November 2008
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref> Swedish environmental groups were concerned that the pipeline was planned to pass too closely to the border of the marine reserve near Gotland.<ref name="dw1">{{cite news
 | first = Torsten | last = Schäfer
 | url = http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2345720,00.html
 | title = Baltic Sea Gas Pipeline Meets European Resistance
 | publisher = [[Deutsche Welle]]
 | date = 17 February 2007
| access-date = 2 August 2007}}
</ref> [[Greenpeace]] was also concerned that the pipeline would pass through several sites designated as marine conservation areas.<ref name="telegraph2" />

In April 2007, the Young Conservative League (YCL) of Lithuania started an [[online petition]] entitled "Protect the Baltic Sea While It's Still Not Too Late!", translated into all state languages of the countries of the Baltic region.<ref name="bellona">{{cite news
 | author = Galina Raguzina
 | url = http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2007/1180933195.94
 | title = Nord Stream gas pipeline a danger for the Baltic ecology
 | publisher = Bellona
 | date = 1 June 2007
| access-date = 10 November 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081118200632/http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2007/1180933195.94
 | archive-date = 18 November 2008
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref> On 29 January 2008, the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament organized a public hearing on the petition introduced by YCL leader Radvile Morkunaite. On 8 July 2008, the [[European Parliament]] endorsed, by 542&nbsp;votes to 60, a non-binding report calling on the [[European Commission]] to evaluate the additional impact on the Baltic Sea caused by the Nord Stream project.<ref name="reuters080708">{{cite news
 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL0852440420080708
 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130104174922/http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKL0852440420080708
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 4 January 2013
 | author= Pete Harrison
 | title = EU lawmakers demand probe of Baltic gas pipeline
 | work = Reuters
 | date = 8 July 2008
| access-date = 11 July 2008}}
</ref> The Riigikogu made a declaration on 27 October 2009, expressing "concern over the possible environmental impacts of the gas line" and emphasizing that international conventions have deemed "the Baltic Sea in an especially vulnerable environmental status".<ref name="riigikogu">[http://www.riigikogu.ee/?page=pub_file&op=emsplain&content_type=application/msword&u=20101110155138&file_id=803537&file_name=607-a-XI.doc&file_size=22528&mnsent=607+AE&fd=22.04.2010 Riigikogu avaldus. Läänemerre kavandatava gaasijuhtmega seotud keskkonnariskidest] Declaration of the Riigikogu. On environmental hazards connected with the gas line planned into the Baltic Sea. In Estonian. The Riigikogu 27 October 2009</ref>

Russian officials described these concerns as far-fetched and politically motivated by opponents of the project. They argued that during the construction the seabed will be cleaned, rather than endangered. Russian Foreign Minister [[Sergey Lavrov]] claimed that Russia fully respects the desire for a complete environmental sustainability of the project and that Russia is fully supportive of such an approach, and that all environmental concerns would be addressed in the process of environmental impact assessment.<ref name="upstream2">
{{cite news
 | url = https://www.upstreamonline.com/online/russia-backs-green-nord-stream/1-1-1039500
 | title = Russia backs green Nord Stream
 | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]]
 | publisher = NHST Media Group
 | date = 13 June 2007
| access-date = 2 August 2007
| url-access = subscription}}
</ref>

Concerns were raised, since originally Nord Stream AG planned on rinsing out the pipeline with {{convert|2.3|e9L|e6USgal|abbr=off}} of a solution containing [[glutaraldehyde]], which would be pumped afterward into the Baltic Sea. Nord Stream AG responded that glutaraldehyde would not be used, and even if the chemical were used, the effects would be brief and localized due to the speed with which the chemical breaks down once it comes in contact with water.<ref name="businessweek">
{{cite news
 | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2008-02-25/baltic-sea-pipeline-keeps-losing-friendsbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice
 | title = Baltic Sea Pipeline Keeps Losing Friends
 | work = [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]
 | date = 25 February 2008
| access-date = 18 May 2008}}
</ref>

One of the problems raised was that the Baltic Sea (particularly the [[Gulf of Finland]]<ref name="downstream291108" />) remains heavily populated with [[naval mine]]s.<ref name="telegraph2">{{cite news
 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/2784810/What%27s-in-the-pipeline-for-Nord-Stream.html
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081107231847/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/2784810/What%27s-in-the-pipeline-for-Nord-Stream.html
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 7 November 2008
 | title = What's in the pipeline for Nord Stream?
 | first = Russell | last = Hotten
 | newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]]
 | date = 21 February 2008
| access-date = 9 August 2008
| location=London}}
</ref> According to the hydrographic survey company Marin Mätteknik, around 85,000&nbsp;mines were laid during World War I and II, of which only half have been recovered. In November 2008, it was reported that the pipeline would run through old sea mine defense lines, where mines had been previously cleared and their explosive devices had sunk to the seabed.<ref name="downstream291108">
{{cite news |date=29 November 2008 |title=Wartime Mines To Be Cleared from Nord Stream Route |publisher=[[Helsingin Sanomat]] |agency=Downstream Today |url=http://www.downstreamtoday.com/news/article.aspx?a_id=13974 |url-status=dead |access-date=11 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121020624/http://downstreamtoday.com/(S(ocpfoz45bclwsiqewyiu5bik))/news/article.aspx?a_id=13974 |archive-date=21 November 2010}}
</ref> Sunken mines, which were found along the pipeline route, lay primarily in international waters at a depth of more than {{convert|70|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Nord Stream AG planned to detonate the mines underwater.<ref name="downstream291108" />

Additionally, a lot of munitions have also been dumped into the Baltic Sea.<ref name="downstream291108" /><ref name="offshore010308">{{cite journal
 | url = http://www.offshore-mag.com/index/article-display/324183/articles/offshore/supplements/sweden/articles/rov-survey-tool-searches-for-mines-along-baltic-pipeline.html
 | title = ROV survey tool searches for mines along Baltic pipeline
 | journal = Offshore
 | publisher = [[PennWell Corporation]]
 | date = 1 March 2008
| issue = 3
 | volume = 68
 | access-date = 4 October 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930221133/http://www.offshore-mag.com/index/article-display/324183/articles/offshore/supplements/sweden/articles/rov-survey-tool-searches-for-mines-along-baltic-pipeline.html
 | archive-date = 30 September 2011
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref> Critics of the pipeline feared that the pipeline would disturb these ammunition dumps.

===Ethical issues===
The former [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic)|Chancellor of Germany]], [[Gerhard Schröder]], and the President of Russia, [[Vladimir Putin]], were strong advocates of the pipeline project during the negotiation phase. International media alluded to a past relationship between the managing director of Nord Stream AG, [[Matthias Warnig]], himself a former [[Stasi|East German secret police]] officer, and Vladimir Putin when he was a [[KGB]] agent in East Germany.<ref name="spiegel240205">{{cite news
| newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]]
| title = My President Went to Bratislava and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
| url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,343445,00.html
| date = 24 February 2005
| access-date=31 January 2009}}
</ref><ref name="nyt030106">{{cite news
| newspaper = [[New York Times]]
| first = John | last = Vinocur
| title = For Schröder and Putin, Linkup No Coincidence
| url=https://select.nytimes.com/iht/2006/01/03/international/IHT-03politicus.html
| date = 3 January 2006
| access-date=31 January 2009}}
</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news
| newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]]
| first = Tom | last = Parfitt
| title = Putin's Enemies Call for Investigation into Links with Stasi Agent
| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/1484535/Putins-enemies-call-for-investigation-into-links-with-Stasi-agent.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/1484535/Putins-enemies-call-for-investigation-into-links-with-Stasi-agent.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live
| date = 27 February 2005
| access-date=31 January 2009
| location=London}}{{cbignore}}
</ref><ref name="spt010305">{{cite news
| newspaper = [[The St. Petersburg Times (Russia)|The St. Petersburg Times]]
| title = Report Links Putin to Dresdner
| url = http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=2858
| date = 1 March 2005
| access-date = 31 January 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080613001602/http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=2858
| archive-date = 13 June 2008
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> These allegations were denied by Matthias Warnig, who said that he had met Vladimir Putin for the first time in his life in 1991, when Putin was the head of the Committee for External Relations of the [[Saint Petersburg City Administration|Saint Petersburg Mayor's Office]].<ref name="spt010305" /><ref name="dwas">{{cite news
 | newspaper=[[Welt am Sonntag]]
 | title = In Russland braucht man einen langen Atem
 |trans-title=In Russia You Need a Lot of Patience
 | url = https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article708699/In-Russland-braucht-man-einen-langen-Atem.html
 | date = 17 January 2007
| access-date = 26 April 2016
| url-status = live
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140505194919/http://www.welt.de/print-welt/article708699/In-Russland-braucht-man-einen-langen-Atem.html
 | archive-date = 5 May 2014
| language = de}}
</ref>

The agreement to build the pipeline was signed ten days before the [[2005 German federal election|German parliamentary election]]. On 24 October 2005, a few weeks before Schröder had stepped down as Chancellor, the German government guaranteed to cover €1&nbsp;billion of the Nord Stream project cost, should Gazprom [[Default (finance)|default]] on a loan. However, this guarantee expired at the end of 2006 without ever having been needed.<ref name="ft">
{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Financial Times]]
 | first1 = Tobias | last1 = Buck | first2 = Bertrand | last2 = Benoit
 | title = EU to Probe German Gas Pipeline Guarantee
 | url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4b16eef6-deb2-11da-acee-0000779e2340.html
 | date = 8 May 2006
| access-date=26 August 2007}}
</ref> Soon after leaving the post of Chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schröder agreed to head the shareholders' committee of Nord Stream AG. This has been widely described by German and international media as a [[conflict of interest]],<ref name="spiegel2">{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]]
 | first = Marc | last = Young
 | title = Schröder to Build Putin's Pipeline
 | url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,389965,00.html
 | date = 12 December 2005
| access-date=26 August 2007}}
</ref><ref name="spiegel4">{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]]
 | title = Schröder's New Job Stinks
 | url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,390131,00.html
 | date = 13 December 2005
| access-date=26 August 2007}}
</ref><ref name="washingtonpost">{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]
 | title = Gerhard Schroeder's Sellout
 | url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/12/AR2005121201060.html
 | date = 13 December 2005
| access-date=26 August 2007}}
</ref> the implication being that the pipeline project may have been pushed through for personal gain rather than for improving gas supplies to Germany. Information about the German government's guarantee was requested by the European Commission. No formal charges have been filed against any party despite years of exhaustive investigations.<ref name="ft" />

In February 2009, the Swedish prosecutor's office started an investigation based on suspicions of bribery and corruption after a college on the island of [[Gotland]] received a donation from Nord Stream. The 5&nbsp;million Swedish [[Swedish krona|kronor]] (US$574,000) donation was directed to a professor at [[Gotland University College]] who had previously warned that the Nord Stream pipeline would come too close to a sensitive bird zone.<ref name="local190209">{{cite news
 | newspaper = The Local
 | title = Nord Stream Gift Prompts Bribery Probe
 | url= http://www.thelocal.se/17680/20090219/
 | date = 19 February 2009
| access-date=19 April 2009}}
</ref> The consortium has hired several former high-ranking officials, such as [[Ulrica Schenström]], former undersecretary at the Swedish Prime Minister's office, and Dan Svanell, former [[press secretary]] for several politicians in the [[Swedish Social Democratic Party]].<ref name="stockholm160209">{{cite news
 | newspaper = Stockholm News
 | title = Former Political Employees Now on Other Side in the Hot 'Pipe Line Question'
 | url = http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=2700
 | first = Tommie
 | last = Ullman
 | date = 16 February 2009
| access-date = 19 April 2009
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101129172456/http://stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=2700
 | archive-date = 29 November 2010
| url-status = dead
 }}</ref> In addition, the former Prime Minister of Finland, [[Paavo Lipponen]], had worked for Nord Stream as an adviser since 2008.<ref name="hs150808">{{cite news
 | newspaper = [[Helsingin Sanomat]]
 | title = Ex-PM Paavo Lipponen to Serve as Adviser to Gas Pipeline Builder
 | url= http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Ex-PM+Paavo+Lipponen+to+serve+as+adviser+to+gas+pipeline+builder/1135238642998
 | date = 15 August 2008
| access-date=19 April 2009}}
</ref>

===Land-based alternatives===
On 11 January 2007, the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Finland made a statement on the environmental impact assessment program of the Russia–Germany natural gas pipeline, in which it mentioned that alternative routes via [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Kaliningrad]], or Poland might theoretically be shorter than the route across the Baltic Sea, would be easier to flexibly increase the capacity of the pipeline, and might have better financial results.<ref name="ktm">{{cite web
 |publisher = [[Nord Stream AG]]
 |author = Ministry of Trade and Industry of Finland
 |title = Statement on the environmental impact assessment program of the Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline
 |url = http://www.nord-stream.com/uploads/media/minist_3.pdf
 |date = 11 January 2007
|access-date = 23 February 2008
|url-status = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090326133536/http://www.nord-stream.com/uploads/media/minist_3.pdf
 |archive-date = 26 March 2009
|df = dmy-all
}}
</ref> There were calls from Sweden to consider rerouting the pipeline onto dry land.<ref name="downstream2" />

Poland proposed the construction of a second line of the [[Yamal–Europe pipeline]], as well as the Amber pipeline through Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, as land-based alternatives to the offshore pipeline. The Amber project proposed laying a natural gas pipeline across the [[Tver Oblast|Tver]], [[Novgorod Oblast|Novgorod]], and [[Pskov Oblast|Pskov]] oblasts in Russia and then through Latvia and Lithuania to Poland, where it would be re-connected to the Yamal–Europe pipeline.<ref name="notification2006" /> Latvia proposed using its underground gas storage facilities if the onshore route was used.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} Proponents claimed that the Amber pipeline would cost half as much as an underwater pipeline, would be shorter, and would have less environmental impact.<ref name="kz">{{cite news
 | newspaper= Gazeta.kz
 | title = Poland has its own project of gas pipeline to deliver Russian gas to Western Europe
 | url= http://eng.gazeta.kz/art.asp?aid=104374
 | date = 30 January 2008
| access-date=31 January 2008}}
</ref>

Critics of this proposal said it would be more expensive for the suppliers over the long-term, because the main aim of the project was to reduce transit costs.<ref name="rgi">{{cite web
 | publisher= Global Insight
 | title = Baltic, Polish Leaders Rejuvenate Amber Gas Pipeline Proposal as Alternative to Controversial Nord Stream
 | url= http://www.globalinsight.com/SDA/SDADetail11482.htm
 | date = 6 February 2008
| access-date=31 January 2009}}
</ref> Nord Stream AG responded that the Baltic Sea would be the only route for the pipeline, and it would not consider an overland alternative.<ref name="reuters7">{{cite news
 | work = Reuters
 | title = Nord Stream says overland route not an option
 | first = Agnieszka | last = Flak
 | url= http://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKL1455560620080414
 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181130181956/https://uk.reuters.com/article/nordstream-idUKL1455560620080414
 | url-status= dead
 | archive-date= 30 November 2018
 | date = 14 April 2008
| access-date=18 May 2008}}
</ref>

===World War II graves===
In May 2008, a former member of the European Parliament from Estonia, [[Andres Tarand]], raised the issue that the Nord Stream pipeline could disturb World War II graves dating from naval battles in 1941. A Nord Stream spokesman stated that only one sunken ship is in the vicinity of the planned pipeline and added that it would not be disturbed.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper= The Economist | title = Pipelines from Russia&nbsp;— Dead souls | url= http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11376692&CFID=9227864&CFTOKEN=23116655 | date = 15 May 2008 | access-date=13 June 2008}}</ref> In July 2008, it was announced that one of [[DOF Subsea]]'s seismic vessels had discovered the wreck of a submarine with Soviet markings, believed to have sunk during World War II, during a survey for the planned Nord Stream pipeline in Finland's exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Finland.<ref name="upstream170708">{{cite news | newspaper = [[Upstream (newspaper)|Upstream Online]] | publisher = NHST Media Group | title = Nord Stream survey finds Soviet sub | url= https://www.upstreamonline.com/online/nord-stream-survey-finds-soviet-sub/1-1-1086191 | date = 17 July 2008 | access-date=18 July 2008 | url-access = subscription}}</ref>

In addition to the wreck of the [[Soviet submarine]], there are sunken ships on the route of Nord Stream in the [[Bay of Greifswald]] and in the Gulf of Finland. A ship in the Bay of Greifswald is one of twenty sunk in 1715 by the Swedish navy to create a physical barrier across the shallow entrance to the bay's coastal lagoon.<ref name="ns311008b">{{cite press release |publisher = [[Nord Stream AG]] |title = Underwater Investigation of Wreck on Greifswalder Bodden Enters Second Phase |url = http://www.nord-stream.com/en/press0/press-releases-special/wreck-survey.html |date = 31 October 2008 |access-date = 11 January 2009
|url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100312105232/http://www.nord-stream.com/en/press0/press-releases-special/wreck-survey.html |archive-date = 12 March 2010 |df = dmy-all}}</ref> Russian archaeologists claimed that the ship in the Gulf of Finland "was probably built in 1710 and sank during a raid aimed at conquering Finland" in 1713 during the reign of [[Peter I of Russia|Peter the Great]].<ref name="mk260109">
{{cite news | newspaper = [[Moskovsky Komsomolets]] | title = Финский залив стал заливом сокровищ | trans-title = The Gulf of Finland has become a treasure bay | url= https://www.mk.ru/social/article/2009/01/26/2873-finskiy-zaliv-stal-zalivom-sokrovisch.html | date = 26 January 2009 | access-date= 16 December 2020 | language = ru}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Energy|Russia|Engineering|Transport|Economy}}
* {{annotated link|Blue Stream}}
* {{annotated link|Nord Stream 2}}
* {{annotated link|Yamal–Europe pipeline}}
* {{annotated link|South Stream}}
* {{annotated link|TurkStream}}
* {{annotated link|Russia–Ukraine gas disputes}}
* {{annotated link|Economy of Germany}}
* {{annotated link|Economy of Russia}}
* {{annotated link|List of countries by natural gas exports}}
* {{annotated link|List of countries by natural gas imports}}
* {{annotated link|List of countries by natural gas proven reserves}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080216043436/http://www2.foi.se/rapp/foir1984.pdf Sweden and the NEGP: A Pilot Study of the North European Gas Pipeline and Sweden's Dependence on Russian Energy], (PDF) Base data report by Robert L. Larsson. June 2006
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927104435/http://www.mgip.gov.pl/NR/rdonlyres/C08FC813-450F-474A-AB3F-236E6325C99E/31530/born3.jpg Map of the disputed between Poland and Danmark zone] {{in lang|pl}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927104520/http://www.mgip.gov.pl/NR/rdonlyres/76F93564-0C57-4AFD-B2B7-4FB8839BE8C5/31362/070322_ListMPWdoNordStream2.pdf Original letter from Poland about the disputed area of the Baltic sea bottom] (PDF)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070911174644/http://www.balticsea.lt/en Protect the Baltic Sea] A petition demanding an independent environmental impact assessment of the Nord Stream gas pipeline project
* A. Łoskot-Strachota, Ł. Antas, [http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/policy-briefs/2010-03-29/nord-stream-liberalising-eu-gas-market Nord-Stream on the liberalizing EU-gas-market] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031511/http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/policy-briefs/2010-03-29/nord-stream-liberalising-eu-gas-market |date=4 March 2016 }}, [[Centre for Eastern Studies|Center for Eastern Studies]], March 2010
* [http://www.spektrum.com/statisch/pdf/SdW_NordStream_EN.pdf "Sea Change"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425162713/http://www.spektrum.com/statisch/pdf/SdW_NordStream_EN.pdf |date=25 April 2012 }} (PDF) (Spektrum der Wissenschaft ''Custom Publishing'', 2011)

{{Pipeline Systems of Russia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2011 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:2011 establishments in Russia]]
[[Category:Engie]]
[[Category:Energy in Germany]]
[[Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2011]]
[[Category:Gazprom pipelines]]
[[Category:Germany–Russia relations]]
[[Category:Natural gas in Germany]]
[[Category:Natural gas pipelines in Denmark]]
[[Category:Natural gas pipelines in Finland]]
[[Category:Natural gas pipelines in Germany]]
[[Category:Natural gas pipelines in Russia]]
[[Category:Natural gas pipelines in Sweden]]
[[Category:Pipelines under the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Uniper]]
[[Category:Baltic infrastructure incidents]]