Switzerland estimates the cost of repairing Nord Stream 2 at €633 million

The maximum amount of expected expenses for the repair of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline will amount to €633 million, taking into account its future operation. This was announced on December 20 by a representative of the Swiss company Transliq AG (the liquidator of the operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline), Robert Baechler, who was appointed interim administrative manager of Nord Stream 2AG.

Speaking at a court hearing on Nord Stream 2AG's debt restructuring, Bechler said that a reserve fund has already been formed to repair the pipeline.

"The pipeline is fully activated and a reserve has been formed for the expected repair costs of €633 million. These costs are at the upper limit of expectations and are based on the future use of the pipeline and not on decommissioning," RIA Novosti quoted Bechler as saying.

When asked by the judge to give an estimate of how realistic it would be to use Nord Stream 2 in the future, Bechler began by saying that predictions of high energy demand in Europe would remain valid even after the current geopolitical situation changes.

"It is believed that there will be high energy demand in Western Europe and, as indicated in the assessment report, transportation costs through the pipeline are relatively low. On the assumption that the geopolitical situation will stabilize and the demand will remain, the assessment [of future use] of the pipeline is also based," said a Transliq AG spokesman.

Earlier, on December 18, Bundestag deputy from the Sarah Wagenknecht Union party Klaus Ernst said that Germany should start negotiations with Russia over gas supplies via the Nord Stream-2 pipeline. According to him, Berlin should not adjust its political course to the policy of Washington, which is responsible for the crisis in Germany. The MP emphasized that it is necessary to return affordable energy to the country sooner.

Prior to that, on November 26, Polish radio reported that experts at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw found TNT in the analysis of a water sample from the site of the gas pipeline explosion. In this regard, Poland asked Denmark and Sweden to disclose the results of the investigation. In turn, Die Welt newspaper wrote that at least six ( not four) explosive devices were used in the sabotage.

On November 20, Der Spiegel magazine published a number of details about the undermining of the Nord Streams. According to him, the sabotage was carried out by a group of Ukrainians, some of whom had connections with the CIA in the past, and the cost of the operation amounted to $300,000.

In September, the German government confirmed that several arrest warrants had been issued during the investigation into the JV bombings. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the country would make every effort to investigate and called for an unbiased investigation. The Kremlin agreed with the call, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to the importance of sharing information instead of leaks.

Leaks at the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines were discovered in September 2022. Two powerful underwater explosions were registered on the pipelines. Traces of explosives were found at the accident site. Russia is seeking an international investigation into the terrorist attacks. In February 2024, Putin said in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson that the CIA was responsible for the explosions.