"Refusing the Nord Stream is shooting oneself in the leg … We will have a considerable component missing in our energy basket. Even though the issue of energy security can probably be solved otherwise, economically and ecologically no one could beat the Nord Stream," Herdt said amid calls to cancel its construction after a suspected poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel changed the tone last week after a military lab test on Navalny’s samples showed the presence of a nerve agent in his system. She said on Tuesday that the future of the gas pipeline was in the EU’s hands, after repeatedly resisting calls to abandon the joint project with Russia.
Herdt predicted that over a hundred companies involved in the gas link’s construction would have the right to sue for lost profits and investments, which he estimated may lead to a penalty of up to 12 million.
"This is the most optimal project for energy shortages that we will have after abandoning nuclear energy and coal plants. It’s difficult to understand those politicians who advocate for halting the Nord Stream project; they must explain their voters right away that the price of energy will grow," he said.
Herdt said it was hard to determine the logic behind the claims that Russia poisoned Navalny and more people are beginning to question Russia’s role in it. The lawmaker suggested that the accusation was used to promote energy sources other than Nord Stream 2.
"It’s difficult to find any logic in the proposal that Moscow is behind it. But the sanctions and the fact that the Nord Stream immediately came under attack — here one could logically judge that this is a special operation of those who Nord Stream prevents from selling its LNG here," Herdt said.
The United States has long opposed gas trade between Russia and Germany, claiming it undermined the EU’s energy security. Instead, the Trump administration has advocated for a bigger presence in the European energy market and has imposed a raft of sanctions on Nord Stream 2 in an effort to kill it.
