A confidential document from the Ministry of Economics warns of the potential resumption of the Nordstream pipelines, which could bring Russian gas to Germany. According to the latest issue of the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”, the so-called supply security assessment, written in 2022 under the leadership of Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), concludes that a permit would “jeopardize the gas supply security in the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union”. Experiences have shown that “natural gas as a weapon” has been used against Germany in the past. Moreover, the state-owned company Gazprom and the Russian Federation controlled the pipeline.
The Nordstream pipelines consist of a total of four pipes. Two of them had been in operation for decades, transporting gas to Germany, until Russia suspended the export. The other two never entered service, pending the final regulatory approvals. In September 2022, three of the four pipes were destroyed. Speculations have since arisen about a possible reactivation of the pipelines.
To make a difference on this issue, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) would only need to take one step, said the Green Bundestag member Michael Kellner to “Die Zeit”: “The Chancellor could ask his Economics Minister to submit the supply security assessment to the cabinet and have it decided there. Then, the Federal Network Agency could finally reject the project.