By Musavir Hameed Barech and Sanaullah
September 26, 2023 marked the one-year anniversary of the explosion of the key gateway of Russian gas to Europe, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. After one year, no one knows the real perpetrator behind the explosion. The reports of different governments and agencies blamed Russia and Ukraine for this act. However, the investigative story of journalist Seymou Hersh alleged that the US was behind the explosion of the Nord Stream two pipeline.
The Nord Stream gas pipeline is the prime project through which Russia transports natural gas to Germany and Europe. The multibillion-dollar infrastructure project was built by Russia’s Gazprom in two stages: Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. The twin projects are primarily owned by Gazprom. Each stage of the project consists of two concrete-coated steel pipelines of about 1,200km in length and more than 1m in diameter, laying at a depth of around 80-110m. Nord Stream pipelines had a total capacity of pumping some 110 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per annum, more than a half of Russia’s total export capacity.
Gazprom owns 51% of Nord Stream 1, while Germany’s Wintershall Dea and E.ON have 15.5% each, while Dutch Gasunie and French Engie hold 9% respectively in Nord Stream 1. The Western owners have written off all their investments. Nord Stream 2, fully owned by Gazprom and operated by Nord Stream 2 AG, was completed in September 2021 at a cost of $11 billion, but was never put into operation because Germany had canceled Nord Stream 2’s certification days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Western companies – Shell, Germany’s Wintershall Dea and Uniper , French Engie and Austria’s OMV covered 50% of the NS2 construction costs. All five have also written off their full financing of NS2, each of about 1 billion euros.
Russia is employing the supplies from the vital gas pipelines as a tool to route its economy through sanctions imposed in response to its intervention in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In the 21st century, energy is constructed as the lifeblood of modern society: it overcomes – energy demand, sparks innovation, defines international affairs, and plays a crucial role in the advancement. Similarly, Germany is the Europe’s leading economy where the energy prices are the lowest in comparison to other states of the continent. It is conceivable owing to the low-cost supplies by the Nord Stream gas pipeline project. As a result, this makes goods manufactured in Germany competitive in the global marketplace. However, Russia is using its oil as a tool in diplomacy while dealing with the states. Many times, Russians threaten to block the supply of gas to Europe and pose an economic and energy threat to European States, particularly to Germany. In order to expand its options and twofold the gas supply, Germany came up with another Nord Stream project. However, the Nord Stream two project was paused after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The thorough investigation by Seymour Hersh reveals a clandestine CIA campaign to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines, casting doubt on the Biden administration’s genuine objectives. To avoid leaving any digital traces, the operation was conducted in complete secrecy and with complete denial. The mission’s objectives were to assist President Zelensky of Ukraine and ward off further Russian assaults. But as the operation’s true objective became clear, a serious error was exposed: the goal was not to end the Ukrainian conflict but to keep Germany from falling under Russian power by cutting off its gas supply.
The decision to blow up the pipelines was made by the Biden administration due to worries that Russia would use its enormous energy resources as a political weapon. As Nord Stream 1 had already been shut down by Russia and Nord Stream 2 had been halted by the German government prior to Russia’s invasion, it was not directly related to the situation in Ukraine. The underlying goal of the operation, according to an unidentified official, was to keep American influence in Western Europe and keep Germany from becoming overly reliant on Russian gas. The timing and strategy of the administration are called into doubt by this revelation, which had negative economic repercussions for Germany and Western Europe without attaining its main objective
No one could definitely claim responsibility for the pipeline bombings, and the Biden administration chose not to launch a thorough inquiry. Many concerns concerning the underlying reasons behind the operation remain unanswered as a result of the secrecy and lack of accountability. The essay raises worries about the potential effects of covert activities on a global scale by illuminating the intricate geopolitics surrounding energy resources and their influence on international relations.
Musavir Hameed Barech Research Officer at Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN).
Sana Ullah Research Assistant at Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN).
