The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is a commercial project and the Federal Grid Agency makes decisions on it without being guided by politics. This was announced on Friday, December 17, in Brussels by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron following the EU summit.
According to him, private investments have been made in the pipeline. The Federal Chancellor also noted that the issue of compliance of Nord Stream 2 with European energy legislation is under consideration.
“The department in Germany decides this, completely not being guided by policy,” TASS quoted Scholz as saying. The Chancellor added that the procedure involves “a lot of consultation.”
At the same time, he assured that Berlin will continue its efforts to preserve the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.
Earlier, on December 16, Germany postponed a decision on certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline until at least mid-2022.
On December 14, the new Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that Nord Stream 2 is an important project ensuring the security of energy supplies to the European Union. According to him, any sanctions against the pipeline “will only harm the European Union,” so you should not use the SP-2 as a lever of pressure on Moscow.
Not long before this, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said in an interview with the ZDF TV channel that the SP-2 cannot be approved, since it does not yet comply with the requirements of European energy law. She said that the problem was discussed during the talks between the foreign ministers of the EU countries.
On December 13, Berbock clarified her words about the “inconsistency with the EU law” of the gas pipeline, recalling that she had in mind the decision of the EU regulator made back in November.
Then the gas pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG said that it would not comment on the details of the SP-2 certification procedure, “its timing or impact on the timing of putting the gas pipeline into operation.” They asked to pay attention to the fact that the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) published information on the temporary suspension of certification in connection with the establishment of a subsidiary of Nord Stream 2 AG on November 16. Then Nord Stream 2 AG promised to establish such a subsidiary in Germany to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations.
The German Ministry of Energy called the suspension of certification a regulatory issue and an intermediate stage in this procedure, adding that this will not affect the country’s energy supply.
As it became known on December 11, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock found herself at an impasse because of her position on Nord Stream 2. As a co-chairman of the Green Party, she opposed the project, but after being appointed as the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she faced the need to submit to the position of official Berlin. The political commentator Johannes Leithoser wrote about this.
The construction of SP-2 was completed on September 10. It was built from Russia to Germany along the Baltic seabed with the aim of direct gas supplies to Europe. The EU countries mainly support the project and participate in its implementation. The Baltic states, Poland, the United States and Ukraine are opposed.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
