Certification of Nord Stream 2 may drag on until May 2022 | News from Germany about Europe

The launch of the new Nord Stream 2 (SP-2) gas pipeline may be delayed until May 8, 2022 due to the consideration of the decision of the German regulator – the Federal Network Agency – by the European Commission, Bloomberg news agency reported on Wednesday, November 3.

As the agency explains, the German regulator must make a preliminary decision on the gas pipeline by January 8. After that, he will be sent for a two-month review by the European Commission (EC), which will check whether the SP-2 complies with European energy rules, especially in terms of the requirements for the so-called unbundling – the separation of gas production from its transportation. A number of MEPs believe that the unbundling criteria have not been met, and they informed the EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson in their letter.

The EC decision will not be binding, but the consideration may drag on until May 8, 2022, since the commission has two months to make a decision with the possibility of extending the period for another two months.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the process of obtaining permission to launch the gas pipeline from the German regulator could be completed by early 2022.

New German-Russian gas pipeline

The construction of Nord Stream 2 was completed on September 10. The gas pipeline runs along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany and consists of two lines, each nearly 1200 km long. Their total throughput is 55 billion cubic meters. meters of gas per year.

Bloomberg reminds that German Chancellor Angela Merkel firmly supported SP-2 despite pressure from the United States and a number of Eastern European countries, including Ukraine, which fears losing Russian gas transit fees. According to the agency, the likely successor to Merkel as chancellor, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, will continue the line of his predecessor.

At the same time, Bloomberg notes that the partners of the Social Democrats – “green” have serious questions to SP-2. The agency, in particular, quotes the words of the co-chairman of the Green Party, Robert Habeck, who stated: norms. I do not see this at the present time and have doubts about it. “

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