It seems that the Nord Stream 2 saga will never end. The project that has been in the pre-launch state for several years is in jeopardy again. This time, Germany’s ecologists are standing in the way of the gas pipeline. 

The NABU environmental association decided to suspend the construction of Nord Stream 2 by turning to the court. Until there is a court ruling, construction works will go on. The head of the Bundestag Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy, Klaus Ernst, assessed project risks. He said that the filed claim might slow down the work but it was unlikely to prevent the completion of the pipeline’s construction. "The construction of the pipeline has been fully approved by all competent agencies and thus conforms to legislation," he noted. "In this respect I see no reasons why Nord Stream 2 should not be completed," Ernst emphasized.

Environmental group NABU filed a complaint with the German maritime authority, BSH, against the gas pipeline construction permit because its unfinished section is located in Germany’s exclusive economic zone.

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency has previously rejected another environmentalists' claim that the gas pipeline construction allegedly could be damaging for nesting birds. However, this fact has not been confirmed.