Nord Stream 2 AG, which operates the pipeline, stated on Monday that it had started filling the first string with gas in order to reach the pressure needed for future testing.
"As of 4 October, the gas-in procedure for the first string of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has started. This string will be gradually filled to build the required inventory and pressure as a prerequisite for the later technical tests", the operator said in a statement, adding that "Pre-commissioning steps for the second string are ongoing".
In this April 9, 2010 file photo, a Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 170 km (106 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg, Russia, during a ceremony marking the start of construction for the Nord Stream pipeline.
© AP Photo / Dmitry Lovetsky
However, Nord Stream 2 AG needs to be officially certified by the German authorities as an independent operator before any deliveries are allowed.
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall. The 745-mile twin pipeline is designed to deliver natural gas from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea.