First String of Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Filled With Technical Gas

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The first string of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was filled with technical gas, while pre-commissioning procedures for the second string continue, pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG said on Monday.

"As of October 18, the gas-in procedure for the first string of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has been completed. As planned and in line with the system design requirements, the string is filled with some 177 million m3 of so-called technical gas... Pre-commissioning steps for the second string are ongoing," the operator said in a statement.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall. The project is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea.

In this April 9, 2010 file photo, a Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 170 km (106 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg, Russia, during a ceremony marking the start of construction for the Nord Stream pipeline.

© AP Photo / Dmitry Lovetsky

On 10 September, Russia's Gazprom announced that construction of the pipeline had been completed, and now it is only waiting for certification from the German regulator. The project is preparing for launch amid an ongoing energy crisis as gas prices in Europe have reached record highs.