Nord Stream 2 is a gas pipeline designed to deliver Russian natural gas from Russia to Germany through the waters of the Baltic Sea. The gas artery's construction ended in September 2021. The project is controlled by the operating company Nord Stream AG office in Switzerland's Zug. Last year, Nord Stream 2's certification was delayed by Germany, with the process halted indefinitely in February 2022. Just six months later, a major breakdown hit the gas artery, with underwater blasts detected on the pipeline. The European Union saw the incident as "sabotage," and Moscow called it an act of "international terrorism." Read more: Despite Russian supply cuts German gas storage over 90% full Designed to carry Russian "blue fuel" to Germany through the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream 2 was founded by Russia's Gazprom. The project's cost stands at about $9.2 billion. European companies chipped in to pay half the sum. Among these companies are France's Engie, Austria's OMV, Holland-UK's Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall. Initial plans stipulated that Gazprom would receive 51 percent of the company's shares, while the rest should have been granted to its above-mentioned European partners. In 2017, however, Gazprom bought out all 100 percent shares of Nord Stream 2 AG, with the European companies starting to act as the project's investors. In June 2021, Famil Sadygov, deputy chairman of Gazprom's board of directors, pointed out that "the project is fully provided with financing to complete its investment stage and move to the operational one." Where is Nord Stream 2 Pipeline situated? The 1,234km project passes through the territories of Russia, Germany, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Nord Stream 2 bypasses transit countries, including Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland. Why is US against Nord Stream 2? The US, along with its allies in Eastern Europe, especially Poland and Ukraine, has repeatedly opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2. Washington previously imposed two rounds of sanctions on the project, arguing that once Nord Stream 2 is operational, Europe will become even more dependent on Russia's energy resources, something the White House claims will help Moscow obtain political leverage. Former US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell described Nord Stream 2 as "an unceremonious attempt" by Russian authorities to increase the strangulation of European allies and partners in terms of energy supply in 2019. Last year, the Biden administration decided to waive sanctions against Nord Stream 2, citing its understanding of the fact that the sanctions would not work and referring to its unwillingness to alienate Berlin, one of Washington's key allies. Moscow has repeatedly underscored that the project is purely economic and that the way the White House opposes it is an example of unfair competition. Read more: Russia’s Gazprom keeps gas pipeline to Germany switched off How expensive would gas be for Germany without Nord Stream 2? On September 16, Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper сited the German Public Utilities Association as reporting that next year may see a 60 percent increase in gas prices in the country due to a reduction in supplies from Russia amid the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 project. According to the newspaper, with electricity prices in Germany increasing by more than 10 percent, the so-called ultimate consumers now have to pay 30-60 percent more for gas than before the beginning of the ongoing Russian special military operation in Ukraine, which was launched on February 24 and followed by western countries slapping packages of "severe sanctions" on Moscow. Klaus Ernst, head of the Bundestag's Committee for Economics and Energy, said it is worth considering launching Nord Stream 2 due to what he called the absence of other alternatives. According to him, "In general, it does not matter through which pipeline the gas is delivered to Germany because the fuel remains Russian anyway. In this sense the issue of Nord Stream 2 is rather symbolic." Difference between Nord Stream 1 and 2 Both pipelines are parts of the single Nord Stream gas transportation network. Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which entered into service in 2011, starts its route in the northern Russian town of Vyborg, while Nord Stream 2, which has yet to start running, begins its path near Russia's northwestern Ust-Luga. Most recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that one Nord Stream 2 branch was in working condition, adding that "the decision to launch it is not being made and is unlikely to be made, but this is not our (Russia's) business."

Natural gas started flowing through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe on Thursday after a 10-day shutdown for maintenance — but the gas flow remained well short of full capacity and the outlook was uncertain, which leaves Europe still facing the prospect of a hard winter. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany had been closed since July 11 for annual maintenance work. Amid growing tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, German officials had feared that the pipeline — the country’s main source of Russian gas, which recently has accounted for around a third of Germany’s gas supplies — might not reopen at all. Network data showed gas beginning to arrive through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline as scheduled after 6 a.m., and the operator said that it had “successfully completed all planned maintenance works.” But deliveries were still far below the pipeline's full capacity, as they were for weeks before the maintenance break. Also read: Nord Stream 1 resumes gas deliveries to Germany after maintenance The head of Germany's network regulator, Klaus Mueller, said Russia’s Gazprom had notified deliveries Thursday of about 30% of the pipeline's capacity. He later tweeted that actual deliveries were above that amount and could reach the pre-maintenance level of some 40%. That wouldn't be enough to resolve Europe's energy crisis. “The political uncertainty and the 60% reduction from mid-June unfortunately remain,” Mueller wrote. When Gazprom reduced the flow last month, it cited alleged technical problems involving equipment that partner Siemens Energy sent to Canada for overhaul and couldn’t be returned because of sanctions imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Canadian government earlier this month gave permission for the turbine that powers a compressor station at the Russian end of the pipeline to be delivered to Germany. The German government has rejected Gazprom’s technical explanation for the gas reduction, charging repeatedly that it was only a pretext for a political decision to sow uncertainty and further push up energy prices. It has said the turbine was a replacement that was only supposed to be installed in September, but that it’s doing everything to deprive Russia of the pretext to reduce supplies. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Gazprom still hadn’t received the relevant documents for the turbine’s return, and on Wednesday questioned the quality of the repair work. Putin said that Gazprom was to shut another turbine for repairs in late July, and if the one that was sent to Canada wasn’t returned by then the flow of gas would decline even further. The head of the European Union’s executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday that the turbine was “in transit” and there was “no pretext not to deliver” gas. Simone Tagliapietra, an energy policy expert at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, said that Russia was playing a “strategic game." Also read: Canada imposes new sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas sector, chemical industry “Keeping low flows going is better than cutoff. It decreases Europe’s resolve to reduce gas demand,” he said. He warned that Europe must go into crisis mode anyway "because an interruption is likely to happen in the winter. And each cubic meter of gas saved now, makes Europe more resilient in the next months.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said “today underlines — even if there's an announcement that gas is flowing again — that this war isn't only being conducted with weapons against Ukraine, but that hybrid warfare means also using energy dependency as a means of war.” The European Commission proposed this week that member countries cut their gas use by 15% over the coming months as the bloc braces for a possible full Russian cutoff of gas supplies. Germany and the rest of Europe are scrambling to fill gas storage in time for winter and reduce their dependence on Russian energy imports. Germany has Europe’s biggest economy; gas is important to power its industries, provide heating and, to some extent, generate electricity. Last month, the government activated the second phase of Germany’s three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies, warning that Europe’s biggest economy faced a “crisis” and winter storage targets were at risk. As of Wednesday, Germany's gas storage was 65.1% full. To make up for shortfalls, the German government has given the green light for utility companies to fire up 10 dormant coal-fired power plants and six that are oil-fueled. Another 11 coal-fired power plants scheduled to be shut down in November will be allowed to keep operating.

Gas supplies will remain suspended for 12 hours in different areas of the capital from 9am to 9pm Thursday due to works on gas pipeline replacement. The areas are Hatirpul, Circular Road, Free School Street, Green Road, Kathalbagan, East Rajabazar, West Rajabazar, Shukrabad, and Indira Road, said Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company. The consumers in the nearby areas may experience low pressure in supply too, it added. Also read: Govt working to keep gas price within tolerable limit: Nasrul

In a flurry of diplomacy across two continents, President Joe Biden met with Germany’s new leader Monday and vowed the crucial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline will be blocked if Russia further invades Ukraine. Russia’s Vladimir Putin retorted that the U.S. and its allies are the only ones talking invasion. Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron met for more than five hours in Moscow at the same time Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at the White House in efforts to defuse the crisis before armed conflict breaks out. Russia has massed thousands of troops at the Ukraine border, adding military might almost daily. The White House has expressed increasing alarm about the prospects of war, and Biden has been looking to solidify support among European allies for economy-jarring sanctions against Russia if it attacks. Also read: Top Biden aide says Ukraine invasion could come ‘any day’ “If Russia invades, that means tanks and troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,” Biden said. “We will bring an end to it.” That would hurt Russia economically but also cause supply problems for Germany. Construction of the pipeline has been completed, but it is not yet operating. “We are jointly ready, and all of NATO is ready,” Biden said, referring to the powerful Western alliance, though Ukraine is not a member. While Biden reiterated with certitude that the pipeline would not move forward, Scholz stressed the need to keep some ambiguity about sanctions in order to press Russia to de-escalate the crisis. “It’s necessary for Russia to understand that a lot more could happen than they’ve perhaps calculated with themselves,.” Scholz said. The buildup of over 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fueled Western worries of a possible offensive. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine “any day,” triggering a conflict that would come at an “enormous human cost.” At the same time, Biden and NATO allies have made clear there are no plans for sending in troops to fight Russia on Ukraine’s behalf. Also read: Russian bombers fly over Belarus amid Ukraine tensions Macron and Putin, during their lengthy meeting — with a dinner that featured the choice of sturgeon or reindeer — registered their disagreements but also emphasized a need for more talks. Putin noted that the U.S. and NATO have ignored Moscow’s demands that the alliance guarantee it will keep Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations out, refrain from placing weapons in Ukraine and roll back alliance forces from Eastern Europe. “We are categorically against any further NATO’s expansion eastward because it poses a threat to us,” Putin said. “It’s not us who’s advancing to NATO, it’s NATO coming to us and so it’s illogical to talk about Russia’s aggressive behavior.” He scoffed at Western descriptions of NATO as a defensive alliance, saying sarcastically that “people of Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan have learned it from their own experience.” And he threatened a wider war if Ukraine should join the alliance and perhaps try to win back Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. “European countries will automatically be drawn into a military conflict with Russia,” Putin said. “You will be drawn into that conflict beyond your will. There will be no winners.” Macron described the talks as “substantial, deep” with a focus on conditions that could help de-escalation. “We tried to build converging elements,” he said. “The upcoming days will be crucial and deep discussions together will be needed.” Putin signaled his readiness to continue negotiations and denied anew that Russia has any intention of invading Ukraine. In the meantime, Biden warned “it would be wise” for Americans other than essential diplomats to leave Ukraine. On a positive note, Putin said without elaboration that some of Macron’s proposals could serve as a basis for a settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, adding that they agreed to have a call after Macron’s visit to Kyiv Tuesday. Likewise, Biden said when asked if there remained an “offramp” for Russia in the standoff, “The answer is yes.” Before meeting Biden, Scholz told German media that “there will be a very high price if Ukraine is attacked militarily. And we are preparing for this very precisely and have been talking about the details for a long time.” Scholz will travel to Kyiv and Moscow Feb. 14-15. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said her country would add up to 350 troops within a few days to about 500 already a part of a NATO battlegroup in Lithuania. “With this, we are strengthening our contribution to forces on NATO’s eastern flank and sending a very clear signal of unity to our allies,” she said. Biden already has deployed additional U.S. troops to Poland, Romania and Germany, and a few dozen elite U.S. troops and equipment landed Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, with hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division set to arrive. Britain said the U.K. was sending 350 troops to Poland to bolster NATO forces, joining 100 Royal Engineers already there. At a news conference in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell defended the increasingly dire Western warnings that a Russian invasion may be imminent. “This is not alarmism. This is simply the facts,” Blinken said. “And the facts are that we’ve seen over the last few months a massive amassing of Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders.” Borrell noted that “140,000 troops massed on the border is not to go to have tea.” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is weighing a more permanent military presence in southeast Europe in response to Russia’s “massive military deployment” near Ukraine. “We are considering more longer-term adjustments to our posture, our presence in the eastern part of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said after talks in Brussels with Polish President Andrzej Duda. “If Russia really wants less NATO close to the borders, they get the opposite.” Stoltenberg gave no details and said no final decision has been made, but the move could mirror NATO’s long-term military presence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, where about 5,000 troops are stationed. It would see a similar force based in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. The aim would be only to bolster the defenses of NATO allies in the region. The troops would not cross into Ukraine should Russia invade. Biden and Scholz also discussed contingency plans for providing gas supplies to Europe should Russia cut off supply. Europe is already dealing with liquefied natural gas supplies being sapped by a cold winter last year, a summer with little renewable energy generation and Russia delivering less than usual. Biden asserted the U.S. and other countries could make up a “significant portion” of supplies lost should Russia move to cut off Europe. But energy experts say replacing Russian gas would be complicated and can’t be done overnight. Export terminals cost billions of dollars to build and are working at capacity in the U.S.

Seven people including three women and a child sustained burn injuries when a fire broke out at a building in the city’s Pallabi area on Wednesday night. The injured were identified as Roushanara Begum, 70, Rina Begum, 50, Shafiqul Islam, 35, son of Rina, Sumon, 40, a gas stove worker, Renu Begum, 35, Nazneen, 25 and her daughter Noushin, 5. Read:College girl suffers burns as stalker sets her on fire in Manikganj Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said the fire broke out on the ground floor of the six-storey building of Rafiqul Islam when worker Sumon was repairing a gas pipeline around 11:15 pm, leaving seven people injured. Later, they were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Read:Fire breaks out at Banani building; 2 girls dead Rafiqul Islam, said, “We called a local gas stove worker as the gas flow in our building is low. The fire broke out suddenly  when the worker lit fire to check gas flow.”

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has asked the officials concerned to expedite the implementation of the pipeline construction project to bring natural gas to Rangpur.