Ukraine intends to impose sanctions against companies participating in the construction of Nord Stream-2 pipeline
International companies participating in the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project may not be allowed to run business in Ukraine, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov stated during his presentation at the 11th Forum on international security.
“The French Company ENGIE is trying to build a gigantic power station in the Chernobyl area, and as my colleague-minister told me, is ‘a little bit’ involved in the construction of the Nord Stream. We don’t care whether it is ‘a little bit’ or not. They step on the independence of my country. If this is true, ENGIE cannot work with Ukraine. The same applies to any other companies,” said Avakov, who is also a member of the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Security Council.
The Nord Stream-2 project envisages the construction of two gas pipeline strings with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia’s coast across the Baltic Sea to Germany. The pipeline is expected to be built next to the already existing Nord Stream-1, with construction estimated to start in 2018 and be completed by the end of 2019.
Ukraine opposes the Nord Stream-2 project. Andriy Kobolyev, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz, estimates that the Nord Stream-2 does not contribute to diversification of gas supply to the European Union and does not provide access to new gas sources.