Investor from the American state of Miami - Stephen Lynch, wants to participate in the auction for the sale of the undermined Nord Stream 2 pipeline if it is auctioned during the bankruptcy proceedings of Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the gas pipeline. Lynch himself stated this to the newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
„This is an unprecedented opportunity to establish American and European control over European energy supplies until the end of the fossil fuel era,” Lynch told the newspaper. According to him, if the gas pipeline turns out to be in American ownership, Washington will have leverage over Russia during the negotiations to end the Ukrainian conflict, and this will also benefit the interests of the United States in the long term. The investor has already applied to the US Treasury Department for a license that would allow it to discuss the acquisition of infrastructure with organizations that are under US sanctions. Several US senators and State Department officials were also notified of his
Lynch expects to buy "Nord Stream 2", which is estimated at about 11 billion. USD. He believes that many investors will not apply for the pipeline because of the difficult geopolitical situation with which it is connected, and among the remaining applicants will be foreign enterprises with ties to Russia, Chinese companies and other players whose interests conflict with American ones.
57-year-old Lynch is a supporter of the newly elected US President Donald Trump. He donated over 300,000 USD to his election campaign. According to the newspaper, before moving to Miami in 2019, he lived in Moscow for 20 years. In 2007 he redeemed the "daughter" Yukos, and in 2022 - the Swiss division of Sberbank, Sberbank (Switzerland) AG.
In June, the bankruptcy proceedings of Nord Stream 2 AG were extended until January 2025. Transliq AG remains interim administrator. Previously, Gazprom in the report informed that the maximum period of the final moratorium for Nord Stream 2 AG is 24 months. It was introduced on January 10, 2023. Before that, there was a temporary moratorium on bankruptcy, which was extended several times.
Investors of Nord Stream 2 AG are the European OMV, Wintershall Dea, Shell, Uniper and Engie. All partners of Russian Gazprom for the project, they committed to provide long-term financing in the amount of 50% of the total cost of the project, which was estimated at 9.5 billion. EUR. Each company had to allocate up to 950 mln. EUR.