Image source, ReutersGermany has said that the final approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas line has been put on hold because of Russia's actions in Ukraine.
The completion of the Russian and German pipeline was last September.
The Baltic Sea will be the location of the 1,200 km Nord Stream 2 gas line.
It cost 10 billion and was finished last September. The western energy firms are paying for half of the cost because of the Russian state-owned energy giant.
The existing gas line, called Nord Stream, has been working since 2011.
Each year, these two pipes could deliver over 100 billion cubic metres of gas to Europe. European Union countries use over a quarter of the gas.
Germany has put on hold the operating licence for the pipeline.
It took the step after Russia sent troops to eastern Ukraine.
In light of the most recent developments, we need to reexamine the situation regarding the Nord Stream 2.
US President Joe Biden had previously promised to shut down theNord Stream 2 if Moscow invaded Ukraine.
The US and UK are opposed to the project.
It would give Russia more control over gas supplies to Europe, they fear.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, called the streamer a dangerous political weapon.
The Prime Minister of the UK said that Europe needs to get the feed from the sea.
Russia stopped gas supplies to Ukraine in 2006 because of a financial dispute. It caused energy shortages in central and eastern Europe.
Russia might stop gas supplies for political reasons in the future.
The US tried to block the project by imposing sanctions. For fear of damaging diplomatic relations with Berlin, it only targeted Russian firms.
Russia wants to increase supplies of gas to Europe from its vast fields in the west of the country.
It wants an underwater route to Europe instead of relying on its land-based route. The networks are old and inefficient. Poland and Ukraine charge high transit fees.
Before the Ukraine crisis, Mr Scholz's predecessor, Mr. Merkel, did a lot to try and push throughNord Stream 2.
She thought that the new Nord Stream 2 would be a way of getting more Russian gas to Germany.
Image source, TASS via Getty ImagesThe project faced a big legal hurdle and was unlikely to deliver any gas before the summer of 2022.
Russia's Gazprom has a 50% stake in the Nord Stream 2 project, which is why Germany's regulators refused to give it an operating licence.
Russia has too much control over supplies and Germany wants the ownership of the line to be passed to another company.
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