The benefits of connecting Nord Stream 2 to Europe’s natural gas grid. Click here to watch our video.
The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline will transport natural gas into the European Union to enhance security of supply, support climate goals and strengthen the internal energy market.
The EU’s domestic gas production is in rapid decline. To meet demand, the EU needs reliable, affordable and sustainable new gas supplies. The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline will provide this by transporting gas from the world’s largest reserves in Russia to the EU internal market.
The Gas Market at a Glance
Explore our interactive map of European gas infrastructure and key market data.
The Gas Market at a Glance
The EU’s domestic gas production is in rapid decline. Nord Stream 2 will meet Europe’s growing import needs by connecting the well-integrated European pipeline network to the world’s largest gas reserves in northern Russia, substantially enhancing the EU’s long-term energy security and helping maintain its competitiveness. This interactive map illustrates the context in which the project is being developed.
Source: Based on Prognos: Current Status and Perspectives of the European Gas Balance (2017), map adapted from ENTSOG
The EU Needs Additional Imports
Europe’s gas demand is expected to remain stable, but domestic gas production is declining.
The EU Needs Additional Imports
Europe’s gas demand is expected to remain mostly stable in the next 20 years, but domestic gas production is declining. Only the global LNG market and Russia have sufficient developed resources to fill that supply gap. Nord Stream 2 offers a safe and affordable way to deliver these resources.
Source: Based on Prognos: Current Status and Perspectives of the European Gas Balance (2017)
Meeting Future Gas Demand
Meeting Future Gas Demand
The EU’s domestic gas production is concentrated in northwest Europe and has decreased drastically in recent years. Even in more optimistic target scenarios, gas demand is projected to remain around current levels into the 2030s. Meanwhile, production levels are expected to halve again in the next two decades. This drop is especially drastic in the Netherlands, UK and Germany – which currently make up about 75 percent of the EU's domestic production. As a result, Europe needs to import more gas.
Source: Based on Prognos: Current Status and Perspectives of the European Gas Balance (2017)
A Key Fuel in the Energy Mix
A Key Fuel in the Energy Mix
As the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas and particulate emissions, natural gas currently has the second-largest share in the EU’s energy mix. The increase in renewable production in past years has mainly resulted in, and made up for, a reduction in the use of coal. Natural gas offers a cost-effective and sustainable way to achieve emissions reduction targets. Depending on the technology used, gas-fired power plants produce about 50 percent less CO₂ than coal-fired power plants.
Source: IEA World Energy Outlook 2016, BGR Annual Energy Report 2016
The Shortest Route from Gas Field to Consumer
The Shortest Route from Gas Field to Consumer
Based on proven, safe and sustainable technology, Nord Stream 2 needs less energy than other options. Taking a short route via the Baltic Sea, it’s the most competitive choice for the region compared to both LNG and onshore pipelines. The new pipeline will transport gas at 61 percent lower emissions than the Central Corridor, and its greenhouse gas footprint will be more than two times lower than that of LNG imports.
Source: Illustration by Nord Stream 2
Securing Gas Supply in a Changing Global Market
Securing Gas Supply in a Changing Global Market
With global demand expected to rise by 25 percent over the next two decades, the EU must secure long-term gas resources. Gas trade flows will likely shift to the Asia-Pacific region, which will absorb currently developed LNG capacities. But Europe can benefit from its proximity to vast gas reserves readily available in northern Russia. These fields are not subject to resource competition from other regions.
The greenhouse gas footprint from Nord Stream 2 will be more than two times lower than that of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters. A major supply chain factor in this is the long-distance shipping required by LNG. By comparison, the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline will be fed by an efficient onshore system that needs just a single compressor station to propel the gas a relatively short distance across the Baltic Sea.
Natural gas transported by Nord Stream 2 will increase competition within Europe. By making more affordable Russian gas available, the pipeline will not only create an appealing alternative to LNG imports, but also reduce overall import prices. This equals big savings on Europe's gas import bill, especially in a tight global gas market when LNG demand is high in other regions.
Natural gas is a lower-carbon fuel that can replace other fossil fuels in the energy mix and deliver a reliable output to complement intermittent renewable energy. Nord Stream 2 will enhance the EU’s security of supply and complement, not replace, existing gas supply options.
Looking for more information? Find answers to the top 10 questions about the Nord Stream 2 project here.
Is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline subject to EU energy market regulation?
The EU’s internal gas market laws only regulate pipelines within the internal market – Nord Stream 2 lies outside of the internal market.
Will the pipeline pose a risk to the sensitive Baltic Sea environment?
The first Nord Stream project demonstrated that the impacts of construction were limited, local and temporary.
Is Nord Stream 2 in line with the EU’s energy goals?
Nord Stream 2 clearly meets the three core goals of EU energy policy: competitive, secure, and sustainable.
With climate goals and the shift to renewable energy, does natural gas still fit?
Clean-burning gas can also help the EU to meet its climate targets.
Does this pipeline increase Europe’s dependency on Russia?
European gas companies will buy gas where they find the best deal.
Will the pipeline make other transport systems redundant?
Nord Stream 2 complements the existing natural gas import routes to the EU.
Will the pipeline have a negative impact on supply security for Eastern Europe?
Nord Stream 2 improves supply security and creates a stronger internal market for all.
Is the new pipeline compatible with the EU’s diversification strategy?
Nord Stream 2 supports Europe’s security of supply. It provides a separate pipeline system along the Baltic Sea route and increases supply capacity.
Does Europe really need additional natural gas pipelines?
Gas production in the EU is forecast to decrease 50 per cent in the next 20 years. Russian gas is the best option to compensate.
Nord Stream 2 is widely discussed, but who will ultimately authorise its construction?
The permission to build Nord Stream 2 needs to be granted from the authorities of the countries through whose waters the pipeline will pass.
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