Three years after two Nord Stream gas pipelines were destroyed in explosions beneath the Baltic Sea, the mystery of who carried out the sabotage remains. 

What is clear is the profound impact on Europe's largest economy, which has been forced to adapt at significant cost to households and industry.

The twin Nord Stream 1 pipelines once carried 55 billion cubic meters of Russian gas a year, providing a major share of Europe's demand and fueling Germany's industrial powerhouse. 

A second project, Nord Stream 2, was designed to double that capacity to around 110 billion cubic meters annually. Completed in 2021, it has never been used because Germany halted the project days after Russia began its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Nord Stream 1 is still not in use after the attack.

Germany has diversified its energy supply since the blasts. Claudia Kemfert, head of the Energy, Transportation and Environment Department at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), told CGTN that "the German market after three years without Nord Stream is functioning, also without the Russian gas. The share of renewables is increasing and the share of gas is slightly declining."

But diversification has come at a price. According to Reuters, energy costs in Europe have quadrupled since 2021. For heavy industries such as chemicals and metals, that has raised fears of long-term decline. 

Steffen Kotré, a member of the Bundestag for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, argued that "these industries are no longer competitive. I always ask myself if there has ever been a time in Germany when the federal government was responsible for destroying our economic base. It is unique in history - and fatal."

The debate over Nord Stream has also highlighted divisions across Europe. Michael Hudson, professor of economics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, told CGTN that "the United States is trying to capture the European market, NATO countries, in its own sphere of influence and separate them."

Investigations into the blasts have produced limited clarity. Sweden and Denmark have both closed their probes, while Germany says it has a suspect under an arrest warrant. 

Yet three years on, the question of who ordered the attack remains unanswered. Hudson noted: "There has been no attempt at all by Germany to even raise the question of who blew up Nord Stream. It's very embarrassing to them."

 The future of the pipelines may remain uncertain, but the consequences are clear: higher prices for consumers, pressure on factories, and an existential question for Germany and Europe's manufacturing base — how to remain competitive without the energy source that once drove their growth.