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Denmark has confirmed the start of the Nord Stream 2 completion

The Danish Energy Agency has received a schedule for completing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the country's exclusive economic zone. The Agency said that work will be resumed on January 15. In December, the same date for the start of work was announced by the Maritime Authority.

The Russian pipe-laying vessel Akademik Cherskiy has already arrived in the Danish economic zone.

At the same time, the government of the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern decided to create a fund for the Nord Stream 2 completion at an emergency meeting on January 6. The onshore gas pipeline infrastructure is located in this region. The fund will be registered in the coming days and will be engaged in the equipment and building materials purchase. The creation of this fund was also approved by the Land Parliament.

The fund will act as an intermediary between the companies and the pipeline construction operator. That is, contractors will have contracts with this gasket fund, and that should help them avoid US sanctions. According to the Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig, the need for this ploy will disappear if the United States lifts sanctions against firms involved in the pipeline construction.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak said on January 4 that the Nord Stream 2 construction would be completed because "European partners are actively helping the project".

At the end of December, work on laying the pipeline in German waters was completed. Now it remains to complete the 157-kilometer stretch in the waters of Denmark.

Context. The U.S. Senate overcame President Trump's veto on January 1 and re-voted to pass the FY2021 defense budget. It involves the expansion of sanctions against Nord Stream 2.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction by European contractors was halted in December 2019 due to US sanctions. The work was halted by a contractor—the Swiss Allseas that specializes in laying pipes. Gazprom announced its intention to complete the gas pipeline construction on its own.

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