Gazprom and Finland's Neste established a joint venture named North Transgas to explore the route from Finland to Germany for the Baltic Sea pipeline.

In 2003, the UK and Russia signed a bilateral energy pact which included plans for the extension of pipelines through Germany and the Netherlands, across the North Sea.

Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder signed the deal creating the Nord Stream 1 project in 2005, one of his last acts in office. He later became chairman of the company behind the project and took directorial positions in Russian energy companies.

In the summer of 2006, a group of employees gathered in Zug, Switzerland to establish the Nord Stream headquarters. They faced challenges such as leasing office space, legal setup, and work permits before initiating the pipeline construction.

On 8 November 2011, European leaders gathered in Lubmin to ceremoniously inaugurate the Nord Stream system, despite opposition from Central Europeans and concerns raised by Scandinavians about environmental risks.

After six years of hard work, the Nord Stream project was finalized in 2012. It aimed to provide Europe with a stable supply of Russian natural gas for the next five decades, setting a new benchmark for successful project execution.

Kvaerner was awarded a contract worth $73m in 2017 for the civil, mechanical, and piping works for onshore facilities at the export landfall of the Nord Stream pipeline in Russia.

Nord Stream project received construction approvals from Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Germany in August 2018.

The offshore construction works for the Nord Stream pipeline started in the Gulf of Finland, with the use of the pipe-laying vessel Solitaire in September 2018.

Swiss-Dutch deep-sea pipe-laying company Allseas suspended work on the Nord Stream 2 project in December 2019 following sanctions announced by the US on companies engaged in the project.

Gazprom restarted construction using Russia's own pipe-laying vessel Fortuna in January 2021 and completed the pending 160km stretch in Danish waters as well as works on pipeline endpoints in Russia and Germany in September 2021.

On February 6, 2022, American president Joe Biden issued a warning during a joint news conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, stating that if Russia invades Ukraine again, the project will be terminated.

During a press conference in the US, Chancellor Scholz affirmed unity between the US and Germany regarding the Nord Stream 2 project. President Biden stated that the project would end if Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russia clashed with the United States and other Western nations over the Kremlin’s call for a U.N. investigation of last September’s sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Western Europe.

Germany refused to grant opening permission for Nord Stream 2 on February 22, 2022, due to Russia's actions in recognizing Ukrainian separatist regions as independent. This decision was made in alignment with a warning issued by the US president.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany revoked its approval for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was not yet operational.

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and global gas supply crises, Chancellor Scholz announced the construction of two LNG terminals in Germany for seaborne imports. This decision aimed to reduce dependency on Russian gas.

Nord Stream 2 AG, a Gazprom subsidiary, ended its business operations and laid off all staff members on March 2, 2022, due to international sanctions. Reports of bankruptcy were denied.

Gazprom stopped gas delivery through Nord Stream 1 on August 31, 2022, citing maintenance reasons. This move impacted the natural gas supply to Western Europe.

Gazprom stopped the gas flow through Nord Stream 1 in September 2022 due to issues related to European sanctions imposed on Russia following the conflict in Ukraine.

Both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were hit by explosions in September 2022, rendering them inoperable and causing significant gas leaks. The blasts were speculated to be the worst methane release in history, with unclear environmental damage.

A severe drop in pressure in both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 on September 26, 2022, was associated with a rupture in both pipes caused by sabotage.

A leak from the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was observed on September 28, 2022, as depicted in a picture provided by the Swedish Coast Guard. The pipeline is part of the infrastructure that transports natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea.

Russia clashed with the United States and other Western nations over the Kremlin’s call for a U.N. investigation of last September’s sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Western Europe.

On March 27, 2023, the U.N. Security Council rejected a Russian appeal to investigate explosions that occurred on the Nord Stream pipelines, which are crucial for transporting Russian natural gas to Europe. The request was related to incidents on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, both primarily owned by Russia's Gazprom.

On June 6, 2023, a European ally provided intelligence to the US, revealing a Ukrainian military plan to attack the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines. The attack was reportedly put on hold, with Ukraine's commander in chief taking charge to keep the operation secret from President Zelensky.