Title: Nord Stream 2 explained: What it is and why it's proving controversial
Headings: Nord Stream 2 explained: What it is and why it’s proving controversial
Nord Stream 2 explained: What it is and why it’s proving controversial
Key Points
What is Nord Stream 2?
German dependence
Ukrainian isolation
Nordic security

Content: Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline currently under construction from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The new pipeline will run alongside the already constructed Nord Stream and will double the amount of gas being funneled through the Baltics to 110 billion cubic meters per year. Estimated to become operational in early 2020, the pipeline is intended to provide Europe with a sustainable gas supply while providing Russia with more direct access to the European gas market. But as tensions between Russia and the West reach their highest in decades, many are skeptical of the purely economic reasoning attributed to the project. German dependence
Germany finds itself in a precarious position. Oil and gas are the lifeblood of Germany’s manufacturing economy, but the country produces very little energy domestically and is dependent on imports for 98% of its oil and 92% of its gas supply. As of 2015, Russia already supplied the plurality of its oil and gas (40% and 35% respectively), so it was with no great surprise that plans to increase Russia’s presence were met with hostility on both sides of the Atlantic. The core concern centers around Germany’s dependence on Russian energy which could make it susceptible to exploitation and more vulnerable to interference. In an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan in March, Perry spoke on behalf of the United States when warning that “Russian gas has strings attached.” In fact, U.S. Congress and the European Parliament passed resolutions calling for an end to construction of the pipeline, citing Russian dependence as a threat to the common market and the EU’s strategic interests.