Why Gazprom’s $7.6 Billion Nord Stream 2 Fine Is Just the Start

Stephanie Bodoni and Maciej Martewicz

Oct 9. 2020

(Bloomberg) — Poland’s antitrust watchdog slapped a $7.6 billion fine on Gazprom PJSC over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, opening a new front in the bitter political battle over the natural gas project. Wednesday’s surprise move raises a whole set of legal questions about the plan, which is teetering on the brink. What was the fine for? The antitrust authority said Gazprom and its partners, which which is teetering on the brink. read more

U.S. sanctions… forced Swiss contractor Allseas Group SA to withdraw its pipelaying vessels

Why the World Worries About Russia’s Natural Gas Pipeline

By Anna Shiryaevskaya and Dina Khrennikova | Bloomberg: Oct. 8, 2020 A natural gas pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea from Russia to the German coast is shaking up geopolitics. Nord Stream 2, as it’s called, fuels worries in the U.S. and other countries that the link could give the Kremlin new leverage over Germany and other NATO allies. As the project neared completion, U.S. sanctions and calls for European restrictions, as well as a Polish move to fine Russia’s Gazprom PJSC on antitrust grounds, have left the construction in limbo and ratcheted up political tensions.

1. What is Nord Stream 2?

It’s a 1,230-kilometer (764-mile) gas pipeline that will double the capacity of the existing undersea route from Russian fields to Europe — the original Nord Stream — which opened in 2011. Gazprom owns the joint Russian-European venture, with Royal Dutch Shell Plc and four other investors contributing half of the 9.5 billion-euro ($11.2 billion) cost. Initially expected to come online by the end of 2019, the link has been delayed by U.S. sanctions that forced Swiss contractor Allseas Group SA to withdraw its pipelaying vessels. The pipeline operator is looking for solutions to lay the remaining 6% of the pipe, which includes construction work in Denmark’s waters. read more

(Shell may have to write off Nord Stream 2 investment if project collapses)

Merkel Scrapping Nord Stream Would Unravel German Gas Strategy

Brian Parkin, Andrew Noël and Richard Weiss: Bloomberg: September 12, 2020

(Bloomberg) — As Angela Merkel weighs up the arguments for scrapping a Russian pipeline project, a cornerstone of the German chancellor’s carefully crafted energy strategy is at stake.

Merkel is coming under increasing pressure to ditch the Nord Stream 2 pipeline after the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny. Members of her own party have questioned the project and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the decision should be a “no brainer.” read more

Why the World Worries About Russia’s Natural Gas Pipeline By Anna Shiryaevskaya and Dina Khrennikova | Bloomberg September 4, 2020 at 3:26 p.m. GMT+1

A natural gas pipeline being built under the Baltic Sea from Russia to the German coast is shaking up geopolitics. Nord Stream 2, as it’s called, fuels worries in the U.S. and other countries that the link could give the Kremlin new leverage over Germany and other NATO allies. As the project neared completion, U.S. sanctions and calls for European restrictions have left the construction in limbo as political tensions with Moscow mounted.

1. What is Nord Stream 2?

It’s a 1,230-kilometer (764-mile) gas pipeline that will double the capacity of the existing undersea route from Russian fields to Europe — the original Nord Stream — which opened in 2011. Russia’s Gazprom PJSC owns the joint Russian-European venture, with Royal Dutch Shell Plc and four other investors contributing half of the 9.5 billion-euro ($11.2 billion) cost. Initially expected to come online by the end of 2019, the link has been delayed by U.S. sanctions that forced Swiss contractor Allseas Group SA to withdraw its pipelaying vessels. The pipeline operator is looking for solutions to lay the remaining 6% of the pipe, which includes construction work in Denmark’s waters. read more

The Guardian: Merkel pressured to end Nord Stream 2 support after Navalny poisoning

Philip Oltermann in Berlin and Luke Harding

Thu 3 Sep 2020 17.30 BST

Angela Merkel is under growing domestic pressure to end her support for the joint German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline project over the confirmed poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The German Green party called on the chancellor to use the nearly completed infrastructure project to press the Kremlin into answering allegations over what Merkel called the “silencing” of Navalny with a novichok nerve agent. read more

Shell may have to write off Nord Stream 2 investment if project collapses

Calls mount for Germany to rethink Nord Stream 2 pipeline after Navalny poisoning

Madeline Chambers: SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced growing pressure on Thursday to reconsider the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will take gas from Russia to Germany, after she said Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-style nerve agent.

Merkel said on Wednesday that Navalny, who is being treated in a Berlin hospital, was the victim of a murder attempt using the nerve agent Novichok, and demanded an explanation by Russia.

Moscow has denied involvement in the incident and the Russian foreign ministry said Germany’s assertion was not backed by evidence.

Western countries have condemned the attack on Navalny and many German politicians want a tough response. read more

Uniper may have to write down Nord Stream 2 loan if the pipeline fails

* Uniper is a financial backer of Nord Stream 2 project

* Risk of non-completion is increasing

* Uniper has committed to fund up to 950 mln eur (Adds CEO comments, details on Nord Stream 2 financing)

By Christoph Steitz and Tom Käckenhoff: AUGUST 11, 2020

FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORF, Aug 11 (Reuters) – German utility Uniper on Tuesday said it may have to impair a loan provided to the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if the project collapses in the face of U.S. sanctions. read more

By Stanley Reed and Lara Jakes: July 24, 2020, 4:38 a.m. ET

A hulking Russian pipe-laying vessel called the Akademik Cherskiy can be seen off Germany’s Baltic coast these days, marine tracking sites say, apparently waiting for the chance to complete the final stretches of a massive undersea pipeline that will carry natural gas directly to Germany from Russia.

The Trump administration, though, is trying to keep the pipeline, known as Nord Stream 2, on ice. Last week, the State Department moved to potentially impose economic penalties on investors and other business participants in the project, an expansion of existing sanctions. read more

Russia’s Gazprom Neft and Shell launch JV for hydrocarbon development

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft on Tuesday said it had signed an agreement with Shell to establish a joint venture to develop a large-scale hydrocarbon cluster on the Gydan peninsula in Siberia.

The deal is scheduled to close in 2020, Gazprom Neft said, after which both partners will have a 50% share in the venture.

Reporting by Maxim Rodionov and Anton Kolodyazhnyy; Writing by Alexander Marrow; editing by Louise Heavens read more

Pompeo Warns Energy Majors Over New Russian Gas Pipelines

“Get out now or risk the consequences,” Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said at the State Department on Wednesday.

Maarten Wetselaar, Klaus Schaefer, Mario Mehren, Alexey Miller, Gerhard Schroeder, Isabelle Kocher, Gerard Mestrallet, Rainer Seele, and Matthias Warnig after signing of financing agreements for Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project on April 24, 2017

By Nick Wadhams Lars Paulsson Jul 15 2020, 8:16 PM Jul 16 2020, 10:19 PM

(Bloomberg)— The U.S. is moving toward sanctions against energy companies involved in Russian pipelines to Europe and Turkey, escalating a threat to punish allies for pursuing projects that the U.S. argues will only benefit Russia.

As Europe’s domestic gas supplies decline, the region is becoming more dependent on imported fuel. The almost 10 billion-euro ($11 billion) Nord Stream 2 project from Russia to Germany is being financed by companies including Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Germany’s Uniper SE and Wintershall AG and France’s Engie SA. Allseas Group SA is helping to expand the Turk Stream link. read more

By Timothy Gardner and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday warned investors in two Russian natural gas pipeline projects that they could face sanctions as the Trump administration seeks to curb the Kremlin’s economic leverage over Europe and Turkey.

Pompeo told a news conference that European investors in the Nordstream 2 and a branch of the Turkstream pipelines could be “put at risk” of U.S. sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017. The pipelines will carry gas from Russia to Europe and Turkey. read more

Implications Seen for U.S. LNG as Nord Stream 2 Nears Finish Line

BY RON NISSIMOV July 10, 2020

Russia will likely complete by next year the undersea Nord Stream 2 (NS2) natural gas pipeline to Germany despite ongoing U.S. efforts to scuttle the $11 billion project, analysts said.

The start-up of the 5.3 Bcf/d NS2 could curb a potential recovery of U.S. LNG exports even if the Covid-19 pandemic recedes next year, said BTU Analytics LLC energy analyst Connor McLean.

“If Nord Stream 2 comes online as expected, the influx of supply into Europe could place further pressure on a U.S. LNG recovery in 2021,” McLean said in a recent post on the firm’s website.

To combat the Russian plan, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) introduced a bill to sanction any entity that aids in completion of the line. That could include companies that have extensive operations in the U.S., such as Royal Dutch Shell plc, Total SA, Engie and OMV, which have stakes in parts of NS2, and Norwegian maritime classification society DNV. read more

Shell Russia head: We will not be put away by uncertainty

Shell Russia’s Chairman Cederic Cremers has spoken to TASS about oil prices, Nord Stream 2 and new projects

– Oil producers have faced an unprecedented drop in demand this year. Do you think, Mr. Cremers, this can accelerate energy transition and decarbonization process and make an oil peak consumption closer?

– I think that the crisis and the pandemic of COVID-19 clearly put a lot of pressure on our industry – energy demand has dropped, and the impact on the economies around the globe is very real. I do think this volatile market will be with us for a while. We do not expect that there will be a recovery in oil prices or the demand of the products in the medium term. However, we do expect that it will recover in a longer period. read more

Senators to push sanctions bill on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline

Jun. 3, 2020 5:51 PM ET|About: Public Joint Stock Company … (OGZPY)| By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is set to introduce legislation that would expand sanctions against Gazprom’s (OTCPK:OGZPY) Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany by targeting insurance companies that work with Russian vessels on completion of the project.

Senator Ted Cruz, one of the sponsors of the legislation, says the pipeline poses “a critical threat to America’s national security and must not be completed.”

The bill would expand sanctions to companies that provide “underwriting services or insurance or reinsurance” for vessels working on the pipeline as well as those that provide “services or facilities for technology upgrades or installation of welding equipment for, or retrofitting or tethering” of vessels. read more

UPDATE 1-U.S. senators weigh additional sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2

By Timothy Gardner, Christoph Steitz and Vladimir Soldatkin: 28 MAY 2020

WASHINGTON/FRANKFURT/MOSCOW, May 28 (Reuters) – Two U.S. senators are considering drafting further sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline if Moscow goes ahead and finishes laying pipes, in another blow to a project which has already faced delays.

U.S. sanctions legislation originally sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz, a Republican, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, in December halted work by Swiss-Dutch company Allseas on the pipeline that aims to boost Russia’s gas exports under the Baltic Sea to Germany. read more

APRIL 13, 2020 / 9.09 PM

MOSCOW, April 13 (Reuters) – International energy major Shell has decided not to complete a deal on a Russian Arctic oil joint venture, Meretoyakha Neftegaz, it was expected to enter with Gazprom Neft, because of some “external” factors.

Total resources at fields of Meretoyakha Neftegaz were valued by Gazprom Neft at 1.1 billion tonnes (over 8 billion barrels of oil).

The decision has been taken against the background of falling global investments into energy projects over weak oil and gas demand and prices amid the global economic downturn, overproduction and the spread of the coronavirus. read more