U.S. May Help Restart Gazprom’s Nord Stream Pipeline To Slash EU Energy Costs

The US and Russia are planning to revive the Nord Stream pipeline system, which was once a major route for Russian natural gas to Europe.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that discussions are underway, hinting at a possible U.S. involvement in reopening the pipeline network that has remained shut since 2022.

The Nord Stream system, operated by Russian energy giant Gazprom, was a critical supplier before Europe cut off Russian energy imports following the Ukraine invasion.

If restored, the pipeline could once again meet nearly a third of Europe’s gas demand. However, such a move would require overcoming political opposition from European leaders and possibly adjusting U.S. sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.

Per reports, one possible approach under discussion involves an American energy company purchasing the Nord Stream pipeline infrastructure.

This arrangement would require the U.S. to lift or waive sanctions on Gazprom and Nord Stream 2, allowing the American operator to act as an intermediary.

The company would buy Russian gas and sell it to European utilities, effectively bringing Russian pipeline gas back into the market.

While one of the Nord Stream 2 pipelines remains undamaged and could be operational if approved, restarting the entire system would require repairing three damaged pipelines that were sabotaged in 2022.

If the pipeline were restored, European energy prices could drop significantly. Analysts estimate that wholesale gas prices in the EU could fall from $14 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) to around $6 per MMBtu, the minimum production cost for American LNG exports.

Lavrov stated that high energy prices have hurt European businesses, making them less competitive than U.S. industries, which benefit from lower domestic gas prices.

Europe has been facing an energy supply crunch this year, with an extra 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas consumed during a harsh winter. This led to a drop in EU gas storage to 35%—the lowest in three years.

Things were made worse when Ukraine halted Russian gas transit to Europe on January 1, removing another 10 bcm from the market. In response, the EU has suggested relaxing gas storage rules, which currently require tanks to be 90% full by November 1 to prevent summer price spikes.

Due to these concerns, discussions about limited Russian pipeline gas deliveries have gained momentum in recent months. Some proposals even suggest using gas exports as leverage in talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war.

Despite economic pressures, several European leaders have strongly opposed reopening the Nord Stream pipeline. German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius are among those firmly rejecting any return of Russian pipeline gas.

Even though the EU has officially reduced Russian gas imports, Russian energy still is important in Europe’s supply. Russian gas imports to Europe rose by 14% in 2023, despite the supposed ban.

– 35 bcm of Russian gas entered Europe last year via the TurkStream pipeline.
– 48 bcm arrived as LNG, making Russia responsible for 15% of Europe’s gas imports.

Since the EU cut off most Russian pipeline gas, the U.S. has become Europe’s top LNG supplier. In 2022 and 2023, the U.S. provided about 8 billion cubic feet of LNG per day to the EU. Europe now buys over half of all U.S. LNG exports, fueling massive growth in the American LNG sector.

However, if Russian gas returns via Nord Stream, it could cut demand for U.S. LNG exports, causing prices to fall and weakening American energy dominance in Europe.

Analysts at Dutch commercial bank ING suggest that Russia could reclaim its position as Europe’s largest gas supplier if Nord Stream were revived.

Reference: themoscowtimes