Nord Stream 2 Ready for Gas Exports Yet Legal Hurdles Remain

Gazprom PJSC has finished preparing the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline for natural gas exports to Europe, yet actual deliveries depend on how quickly regulators grant the project approval amid souring relations between Russia and Western nations.

“Nord Stream 2 is ready for operations,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday at a meeting with energy officials broadcast on Rossiya 24 TV. “Now everything depends on our partners, consumers in Europe, in Germany,” he said.

The pipeline can start delivering “large additional volumes of Russian gas” to the continent as soon as European regulators certify the project operator, Putin said. It’s ...