This week, Denmark’s energy agency granted permission for Nord Stream 2 AG, the Russian-owned operator of the pipeline infrastructure, to begin sealing off the severed ends of three damaged pipelines.
This move could mark the first step toward restoring a crucial energy link that, before Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, supplied up to 40% of Germany’s gas, according to an analysis by The Spectator.
The decision comes just days after Alice Weidel, leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, declared that the population could count on her to bring the Nord Stream back to full functionality.
Weidel also vowed to dismantle Germany’s wind turbines and restart the country’s nuclear power plants.
However, the idea of resuming business with Russia after a ceasefire in Ukraine—as if nothing had happened—has alarmed several EU nations, particularly those wary of Germany’s strategic dependence on Putin’s gas.
Nord Stream: A Threat to Central and Eastern Europe
Following Weidel’s remarks, Polish President Andrzej Duda warned that countries like Germany “should not be tempted” to resume gas imports from Russia to support their struggling economies.
For German voters—and parts of its industrial sector—the loss of cheap Russian gas has been disastrous.
The dual energy shock from the Nord Stream explosions and the closure of Germany’s nuclear plants—pushed through by the governing coalition’s Green Party partners—has led to the country’s worst collapse in living standards since World War II. The economic downturn rivals the 2008 financial crisis.
A recent study from the Forum for a New Economy warned that Germany’s failure to shield its industry from skyrocketing energy prices could turn the 2020s into a "lost decade", fueling further support for AfD.
Meanwhile, the European Union faces a near-impossible task: punishing Russia economically while securing enough gas to keep the lights on.
Despite price caps on Russian oil exports, aviation and banking restrictions, and the freezing of Russian state assets, Brussels has never sanctioned the Nord Stream pipeline itself.
Denmark’s Energy Agency says it approved the repairs because it is obligated to allow that infrastructure in their continental shelf remains operational.
The proposed work involves installing specialized waterproof caps on two damaged Nord Stream 1 pipelines and one Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
This would allow the flooded pipes to be drained and potentially lifted from the seabed for repairs. The pipes are reach a depth of 90 meters below the surface.
The cost of these initial repairs is estimated at €622 million, according to Nord Stream 2 AG’s administrator, the Switzerland-based Transliq AG.
