A record gas volume of 58.8 bcm were conveyed from Russia to the European Union (EU) market through the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2018. From the start of operations in November 2011 (Line 1) and October 2012 (Line 2) until the end of 2018, about 264 bcm of gas have been transported through the gas pipeline. In 2017, the facility shipped 51 bcm of Russian natural gas, up by 16% compared with 2016. Gas exports to Europe have ramped up quickly every year, from 11.5 bcm in 2012 to the current level.
The 1,224 km long Nord Stream pipeline stretches from the city of Vyborg (Russia) to Lubmin near Greifswald, in Germany. The pipeline's capacity is soon expected to be doubled with the commissioning of the €9.5bn Nord Stream 2 project, which is at an advanced stage of construction and slated for commissioning at the end of 2019. Nord Stream 2 is developed by Gazprom (50%), Uniper, Shell, OMV, Wintershall and Engie (10% each).