美国国家公共电台 NPR In Germany, Construction Has Begun On Controversial New Russian Gas Pipeline（在线收听）

In Germany, Construction Has Begun On Controversial New Russian Gas Pipeline

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A new pipeline that will allow Russia to increase its natural gas exports to Europe is ruffling feathers in Europe and in the U.S. President Donald Trump said the project known as Nord Stream 2 will make Germany captive to Russia, and many EU countries agree. But the German government is reluctant to intervene. Esme Nicholson reports.

ESME NICHOLSON, BYLINE: The quiet beach resort of Lubmin on Germany's Baltic coast has long been an energy hub. Just a mile from the pier are the remains of what was once East Germany's largest nuclear power station. Now the town is the entry point for natural gas from Russia, and local mayor Axel Vogt is delighted.

AXEL VOGT: (Through interpreter) This gas pipeline is of huge significance for the region. Our small industrial harbor is earning a lot of money because of it.

NICHOLSON: The gas will be supplied by Russia's state-owned Gazprom. Germany already gets 40 percent of its gas from Russia. This pipeline known as Nord Stream 2 will double Gazprom's supply capacity. While this worries many within the European Union, Mayor Vogt is not perturbed.

VOGT: (Through interpreter) I'm not afraid of Russia. Look; here in former East Germany, we grow up close to Russia. Many people here still have a deep connection to former Soviet states or directly with Russia.

NICHOLSON: But others are nervous of relying on Moscow for energy. Just 50 miles east of Lubmin is the Polish border, where terminals are being built to receive liquefied natural gas from anywhere but Russia. CDU politician Norbert Rottgen is one of few within the government to criticize Nord Stream 2. He says he's concerned about Germany's relationship with its neighbors.

NORBERT ROTTGEN: It cannot be that a matter that in Poland and the Baltic states, for example, is perceived as a matter of national security is identified and characterized by the German government as a nonpolitical topic.

NICHOLSON: Rottgen argues that Nord Stream 2 is a political move by Moscow intended to deprive Ukraine of the revenue it makes from transporting Russian gas through its territory. But Berlin denies there are any political costs. Merkel's spokesperson, Ulrike Demmer, has repeated the same line again and again.

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ULRIKE DEMMER: (Through interpreter) As we've constantly said, Nord Stream 2 is purely an economic endeavor.

NICHOLSON: Reinhard Butikofer, who represents the Greens in the European Parliament, says this is nonsense.

REINHARD BUTIKOFER: It's been a political project from the very beginning. It's part of a very clear geopolitical strategy of the Russian government. And if you look at the high level of involvement of government officials in Germany, it's just a lie.

NICHOLSON: Out in the Baltic, ships are already laying pipes on the seabed ready to transport Russian gas. Surveying the work from a boat nearby, Steffen Ebert of Nord Stream says that Europe's own gas reserves are running out and that all of Europe, not just Germany, stands to profit from the new pipeline.

STEFFEN EBERT: (Through interpreter) Russia has been sending gas to Europe for at least 40 years and has proved itself a reliable partner even during the Cold War. Sinister stories about Russia turning off the tap are just scaremongering.

NICHOLSON: Germany plans to eliminate all fossil fuel usage by 2050, so critics say it won't need Russian gas for much longer anyway. And back in the Baltic, Lubmin is already preparing for when fossil fuels are history. A few miles north of the new pipeline, a huge offshore wind farm is also under construction. For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Lubmin.

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