Full stream ahead: RT takes a peek at progress on construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline

Despite criticism from the US and some EU countries, work on Russia’s natural gas pipeline to Europe is in full swing and on schedule. An RT correspondent visited the Nord Stream 2 construction site in Germany.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, stretching along the seabed of the Baltic Sea to supply Russian gas to Europe, has caused division in the EU, with some fearing that it will make countries overly dependent on Russian energy. Those concerns were further fueled by Washington, which warned its allies to ditch the project.

Nevertheless, six kilometers of pipeline is being added every day, with the project expected to be finished by the end of this year, RT’s Maria Finoshina reported from the pipeline’s landfall site in Lubmin, Germany. She managed to speak to the project spokesman, who said that it will diversify European energy supplies.

“If the domestic production in Europe decreases by half within the next 20 years, you definitely need more imports. Nord Stream 2 will be part of this solution,” Jens Mueller told RT. “Nord Stream 2 cannot fill the gap completely, in general [it] will increase the number of options for the consumers and we should be happy about it.”

Russia already supplies just under 40 percent of Europe’s national gas, and Nord Stream 2 aims to satisfy the continent’s growing appetite. The US opposes the plan, with President Donald Trump excoriating Germany for its commitment to the pipeline last year. The House of Representatives ratified a bill on Monday to assist European countries in switching to US natural gas, an expensive option due to the cost of getting the gas across the Atlantic.