“Such sanctions are a serious interference in the internal affairs of Germany and Europe and their sovereignty. We firmly reject this,” Scholz told German broadcaster ARD in comments released on Saturday. But he rejected countermeasures.

Switzerland’s AllSeas Group SA removed vessels that were laying the last section of the pipeline connecting Russia with Germany, which was just weeks away from completion, after U.S. President Donald Trump approved sanctions targeting the project.

In anticipation of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Allseas has suspended its Nord Stream 2 pipelay activities. Allseas will proceed, consistent with the legislation’s wind down provision and expect guidance comprising of the necessary regulatory, technical and environmental clarifications from the relevant US authority.

After hours of talks brokered by the European Commission in Berlin, Sefcovic said: "I am very glad to say we have reached agreement in principle on all key elements, which is very positive news for Europe, for Russia, for Ukraine and for the gas market."

The U.S. has little leverage to prevent the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany from being completed, two administration officials said, acknowledging the failure of a years-long effort to head off what officials believe is a threat to European security.

Europe’s imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) have been steadily increasing since October 2018, and reached a new monthly record of 12.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in November 2019

The study on the European interconnector market was carried out by energy data analyst EnAppSys and it showed that France had total net exports of 39.4 TWh during the period from January 1 to November 30, with most of the power flowing to Italy (13.3 TWh) and Germany (11 TWh).

The government sources said the carbon price would now increase annually, hitting 55 euros in 2025.

The 764-mile Nord Stream 2 will deliver Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea and is expected to double the capacity of the gas corridor to 110 Bcm/year.

Oil and gas investments in Norway are expected to rise by 3.8% next year to 194.6 billion Norwegian crowns ($21.2 billion) before declining in subsequent years, an industry lobby group said on Thursday.

Norway's preliminary production figures for November 2019 show an average daily production of 2 016 000 barrels of oil, NGL and condensate, which is an increase of 235 000 barrels per day compared to October.

The move by Brussels underscores growing European awareness that key industries risk falling behind if they don’t fill manufacturing gaps in energy storage technology. Lithium-ion batteries are poised to power the next generation of plug-in cars. They also promise to help balance electric grids transmitting renewable energy like wind and solar.

Under this option, EU importers of steel, aluminum and other products with high carbon footprints would have to buy carbon allowances, as EU producers do under the EU Emissions Trading System.

Denmark covered 41% of its electricity demand from wind energy in 2018, the highest level in Europe.

У России есть все необходимые конкурентные преимущества для того, чтобы обеспечить себе лидирующие позиции на мировом рынке водородной энергетики: это наличие резервов производственных мощностей, географическая близость к потенциальным потребителям водорода, а также наличие действующей инфраструктуры транспортировки.