A political row over Europe’s energy security is not hindering preparatory work for the subsea Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, with dredging work starting off the Baltic coast last week. The new pipeline, an initiative of Russia’s Gazprom and five European companies, will double Russia’s export capacity of 55 billion cubic meters to Germany. However, eastern European and Baltic states fear it will increase Europe’s reliance on Russian gas and undermine Ukraine’s lucrative gas transit route. The United States also opposes it. “The status of the project is on track and we have fulfilled all the conditions needed to start laying the pipeline in the Baltic in 2018 as planned,” said spokesman Jens Mueller, adding the consortium had […]