A controversial Russian pipeline to Europe can deliver its first batches of natural gas to Germany this year, according to Gazprom PJSC.
The Nord Stream 2 link can ship 5.6 billion cubic meters of the fuel in 2021, the Russian gas giant said in a statement on the eve of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow. The new pipeline will help ease a supply crunch in the European market, with the news sending benchmark futures in the Netherlands down as much as 12%.