German Court Rejects Ecologists’ Appeal Against Approval of Nord Stream 2

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Supreme administrative court in the German city of Greifswald rejected the appeal of the country’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) against the mining authority's decision that approved the construction and operation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in German territorial waters, the court said Friday.

"The Supreme administrative court in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state rejected yesterday the demand of Germany’s Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, including the one directed against the approval of the plan to construct and operate the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline," the press release read, citing the balance of interests as the reason for the decision.

The appeal was registered by the court on March 5.

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In January, Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the pipeline project, said that it had received permission to build the sea portion of the pipeline in Germany's territorial waters, adding that the approval had been issued by the Stralsund Mining Authority in accordance with the Energy Industry Act (EnWG).

The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two gas pipelines that will run from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to a hub in Germany. It is a joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom with French Engie, Austrian OMV AG, UK-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, and German Uniper and Wintershall.