Nord Stream completes second stage

Nord Stream has completed laying the second 1,224-kilometer gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea ahead of schedule.
The whole system will be operating by the end of the year after commissioning work is completed, Russia Today reports.

The twin pipelines link Russia and Germany and will deliver supplies of Russian gas to an estimated 26 million households in the EU, according to the company.

"Pre-commissioning activities for Line 2 have already started. Each of the three sections will be flooded with seawater, cleaned and gauged and thoroughly pressure tested," Russia Today cites the company as saying.