Gazprom may get a monopoly on the use of the Nord Stream 2 (SP-2) gas pipeline if frosts come to Europe. Polish journalist Andrzej Kublik wrote about this on February 3 in an article for Gazeta Wyborcza.
He drew attention to the complexity of the situation due to the lack of gas reserves in storage facilities in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
“If this happens, it will be difficult for European companies to cope with a sharp increase in demand, as a result, there will be a shortage of raw materials,” said Kublik.
In his opinion, Moscow will try to use the sudden crisis in the European energy market for its own purposes.
“The idea is to give Gazprom, contrary to the requirements of European law, a monopoly on the use of the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline,” the journalist believes.
The construction of SP-2 was completed on September 10, 2021. It was built from the Russian Federation to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea for 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.
In November 2021, the German regulator suspended the certification of Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent operator of NSP-2. On January 26, 2022, it became known that the operator of SP-2 Nord Stream 2 AG registered a subsidiary in Germany for the German section of the Gas for Europe GMBH gas pipeline.
On February 4, the representative of the German Ministry of Economy, Beate Baron, said that Germany would resume certification of SP-2 when the German regulator received all the necessary documentation.
On the same day, the head of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, said that the timing of the certification of SP-2 would depend on Russia’s actions. She pointed out that the Russian Federation is allegedly exerting military pressure on Ukraine, which is why the gas pipeline project cannot be excluded from the sanctions list. She also clarified that the EC has prepared a wide package of economic and financial sanctions against Russia.
Also on Friday, an expert on economics and energy issues of the Alternative for Germany faction in the Bundestag, a member of the parliamentary committee on climate protection and energy, Steffen Kotre, said that abandoning the SP-2 gas pipeline would be a stupid damage to one’s own economy. He noted that the launch of SP-2 could be such an urgently needed signal of detente.
In the United States and EU countries, they have recently announced an alleged increase in Russia’s “aggressive actions” against Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations.
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.
