DThe delayed commissioning of Nord Stream 2 led to an increase in natural gas prices. According to Bloomberg News, European natural gas futures rose to a three-week high.European reference gas prices are also after the announcement Federal Network AgencyThe suspension of the certification process has increased by 12%. The reason given by the market is that it is uncertain how much natural gas will be available in Europe this winter.
The Federal Network Agency has its certification program Controversial gas pipeline On Tuesday morning, he was temporarily suspended due to formal legal reasons. Without certification, the line cannot be put into production. This means that there will be major delays in the pipeline project.
The operator must be organized in accordance with German law
The reason given by the authorities is that the pipeline operating company established by the consortium behind Beixi 2 is located in Switzerland. According to the Federal Network Agency, the operator of this line can only be certified if the operator is organized in a legal form in accordance with German law. Nord Stream 2 AG decided not to convert the existing company, but to establish a subsidiary for the German part of the production line in accordance with German law.
The subsidiary will become the owner and operator of the German portion of the pipeline. However, according to the Federal Network Agency, before the company can be certified, the necessary assets and personnel must first be transferred to it. Until it is completed, the certification process will remain suspended. Only in this way can the authorities check the completeness of the newly submitted documents by the subsidiary.
The operating company stated that the subsidiary wanted to “ensure compliance with applicable laws and standards.” However, Nord Stream 2 AG does not want to comment on the details of the procedure, its possible duration, and its impact on the start of pipeline operations.
CSU insists on “immediate” commissioning
On the other hand, the CSU delivered a speech in the Bundestag on Tuesday after the decision of the network agency. It says that you basically insist on debugging the production line. Alexander Dobrindt, head of the Colorado State University regional team in Berlin, said that the pipeline is the infrastructure for energy supply and should be put into use “immediately.” But he believes that more competition in the natural gas industry is important. For example, the share of U.S. liquefied petroleum gas in Germany’s energy mix should increase substantially.
Oliver Krischer, vice chairman of the Green Party, welcomed the suspension of certification. “The Federal Network Agency conducts inspections in accordance with the law, which is a good thing,” he told the Rhein Post. He also emphasized that the pipeline is “unnecessary.” In Krischer’s view, the delay in commissioning will also ensure that Nord Stream 2 “may not be effective this winter,” he said.
This 1,200-kilometer pipeline has been built, but has not yet been put into operation. It should transport natural gas from Russia to Germany and other countries. The double pipe belongs to the Russian company Gazprom. This is politically controversial: opponents of the project criticized the pipeline as a geopolitical tool in Russia’s hands. Recently, some have accused Russia of deliberately reducing the supply of natural gas in order to speed up official procedures in Germany. Moscow rejected this.
