After years of debate in Germany and beyond, the Russian state-backed energy giant Gazprom confirmed last month that it had finished building Nord Stream 2, a 760-mile pipeline with the potential to send 55bn cubic metres of gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany every year.
Russia is already Europe’s biggest gas supplier, but once running, Nord Stream 2 would offer a significant boost to the annual 170bn cubic metres that keep lights on across the continent.
