Russia has moved one step closer to seeing its controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline become a reality. On Wednesday, the consortium managing the pipeline said that it has all of the Russian permits needed for installation. “We are glad to announce that the necessary construction permits in Russia have been granted, meaning that the Nord Stream 2 project is developing according to the planned schedule,” Chief Project Officer Henning Kothe said in a statement. The permit covers a section measuring 114 km in the Russian territorial sea. Nord Stream 2 is a 759 mile (1,222 km) natural gas pipeline running on the bed of the Baltic Sea from Russian gas fields to Germany, bypassing existing land routes over Ukraine, Poland and Belarus. It would double the existing Nord Stream pipeline’s current annual capacity of 55 bcm and is expected to become operational by the end of next […]