Nord Stream 2 fill first string with gas

The operator of Nord Stream 2 said that they have filled the first line of the pipeline with "technical gas" as they await regulatory approvals.

"As of Oct. 18, the gas-in procedure for the first string of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has been completed," Nord Stream 2 AG said in a statement on Monday.

"As planned and in line with the system design requirements, the string is filled with some 177 million cu m of so-called technical gas, reaching a pressure of 103 bar in the pipeline," it said.

"This pressure is sufficient to start gas transportation in future."

Nord Stream 2 AG said that pre-commissioning steps for the second string are ongoing. 

Nord Stream 2  is a  1,200 kilometres pipeline from Vyborg in Russia through the Baltic Sea to Lubmin in Germany, it bypasses both Ukraine and Poland.

The pipeline has created a controversy in Europe, especially with recent weeks as countries face energy crunch. Ukraine said that Russia will use the pipeline as a weapon.