Poland has authorized participation in the certification procedure of Nord Stream 2

Polish state-owned oil and gas company Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG) has been authorized to participate in the certification process for the $ 11.2 billion Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which will have transport capacity of 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas once it is operational.

Earlier this month, Gazprom completed construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will transport Russian gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea.

This project consists of a double gas pipeline that stretches nearly 1,230 km from Russia to Germany.

Nord Stream 2, the pipeline holding company owned by Gazprom International Projects, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned company Gazprom, is now undertaking the necessary pre-commissioning activities.

The granting of participation rights to Poland by the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) is important as Ukraine and Poland oppose the pipeline project.

Poland fears the project could threaten the security of European countries while Ukraine expects to lose around $ 3 billion (£ 2.2 billion) a year from its gas transit charges.

To allay those fears, in July this year, the United States and Germany reached a truce agreement over the pipeline dispute, with Berlin promising to impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow threatens the energy security of its countries. neighbors.

The United States has said the project will undermine Ukraine’s role in energy transit and make Europe dependent on Russian gas.

In a statement, PGNiG said: “The German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur, BNetzA) has granted Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo SA and its German subsidiary – PGNiG Supply & Trading GmbH the participation in the certification procedure for Nord Stream 2 ”.

According to Poland, the company Nord Stream 2 does not meet formal and substantial certification requirements in the preferential independent transport operator (ITO) model, Russian news agency Tass reported.

He added that “a positive decision by the BNetzA would endanger the security of supply of the EU and of the Member States”.

PGNiG Chairman of the Board Pawel Majewski said the costs of the entire pipeline.

Earlier this week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) called on Russia to supply more gas to Europe as the continent faces an energy crisis.

The Paris-based global energy watchdog added: “The IEA believes that Russia could do more to increase the availability of gas in Europe and ensure that storage is filled to adequate levels for the future. next winter heating season.

The call follows concerns in Europe over Moscow’s decision not to increase gas exports to Europe in October despite gas reaching record prices across the continent.

The EU has accused Moscow of deliberately blocking gas supplies pending regulatory clearance for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

This project would allow Moscow to double its gas exports to Germany.

Gazprom officials have reportedly said that once the pipeline is approved, Russia could increase gas sales to Europe.

The pipeline project originates from eastern Russia and crosses Finnish, Swedish and Danish waters before ending near the German Baltic Sea coast.

The commissioning of the pipeline is subject to the approval of the German regulator. This approval is expected to take up to four months, according to Interfax.

Russian authorities expect the project to enter service by the end of 2021.

In August, a German court ruled that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could not be exempted from EU fair competition rules which require pipeline owners to be different from gas suppliers.