OREANDA-NEWS. Russia hopes that the construction of Nord Stream 2 will be completed by the end of 2021, with about 100 kilometers left to be completed, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

"As for Nord Stream 2, work continues, they did not stop at all. The operator, together with the companies participating in this project, continue its implementation. We hope that this policy will be completed this year," he said. Novak to journalists on the sidelines of SPIEF.

He added that the exact timing depends on various conditions, including technical and weather conditions. According to him, about 100 kilometers of pipes are left to be laid along two strings of Nord Stream 2.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2021 is held on June 2-5 in face-to-face format. RIA Novosti is the information partner of SPIEF.

On May 2, German environmentalists from Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) filed a request with the Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography (BSH) to revoke the permit for the construction and operation of Nord Stream 2 or to suspend the laying of the pipeline during a new inspection. DUH has already tried to appeal against permission to continue construction of Nord Stream-2, but the regulator rejected its request. Environmentalists said they would go to court.

On the air of Sputnik radio, Sergey Kondratyev, a senior expert of the Institute of Energy and Finance, expressed the opinion that the current application of environmentalists to the regulator is hardly capable of suspending the project.