The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was a geopolitical mistake in Germany, said Robert Habek, Vice-Chancellor of the country and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection of Germany.
“All European countries, except Germany and Austria, have always been against it. The pipeline has now been built. The question remains whether it will be able to go into operation, ”the minister said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The problem must be solved in accordance with European and German law, Habek said. According to him, the gas pipeline may not be launched if Russia decides to start a military conflict in Ukraine. The Vice-Chancellor of Germany also threatened Russia with consequences.
The spot gas price in Europe on December 16 reached its highest values since October 6. The cost of a gas futures contract for January delivery at the Dutch TTF hub as of 19:05 Moscow time was $ 1705 per 1,000 cubic meters. m.
Prior to this, the exchange prices for gas in Europe rose above $ 1,300 per thousand cubic meters. m against the background of the statement of German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline cannot be put into operation, since it does not comply with EU regulations. To start pumping gas, the pipeline operator needs to obtain approval from the German regulator, which checks the project for compliance with the EU Gas Directive.
Currently, the certification process has been paused, as the operator Nord Stream 2 AG, which is based in Switzerland, needs to register a subsidiary in Germany. Until this happens, certification will not be renewed. The Russian Foreign Ministry expects that the certification of Nord Stream 2 will be completed in the spring of 2022.
The suspension of certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is directly related to politics, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union (EU), said on the Russia 24 TV channel.
The head of the German Federal Network Agency Jochen Hohmann said that Nord Stream 2 would not receive EU approval in the first half of 2022 due to the length of the procedure. The certification will continue when the relevant documents are presented to the department, he said.
Nord Stream 2 has a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. m of gas per year and passes from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, bypassing the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine. The latter, along with the United States, actively oppose the gas pipeline, calling it a “political” project. Russia, on the other hand, has repeatedly spoken about its commercial nature.
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