New EU rules for offshore pipelines it is planned to adopt within the next months. They can create problems for the project “Nord stream-2”, RIA Novosti reported.
It is expected that the European Commission this week will present a package of amendments to the gas Directive. In the list of suggestions — non-discriminatory tariffs, third party access, separation of activities involving the sale and transportation of gas. The document must be approved by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.
“The Directive starts to apply from the moment of adoption, that is, it may be well before the end of 2018,” — said an informed source Agency.
Currently, a number of norms of the third energy package of the EU, regulating the internal gas market, does not apply to marine gas pipeline sections. The European Commission is discussing the possibility of amendments to the gas Directive to extend it to such sites which will be open later. Given that the “Nord stream-2” is planned to be operational in 2019, the new EU requirements may be applied to this project.
The European Commissioner for energy and climate Miguel arias Cañete acknowledged that changes to the gas Directive is needed in the future not to repeat the situation with this project. However, in the EU today there is no agreed position on the provision of the mandate of the European Commission for talks with Russia on “to Northern stream-2”. The head of the EC Jean-Claude Juncker in October stated that some EU countries are in principle not see evidence of this.
In early October, Deputy Chairman of “Gazprom” Alexander Medvedev said that attempts to extend the Third energy package of the European Union on the “Nord stream-2” did not cease, although the legal Department of the EU has given a negative conclusion, the applicability of these laws to the project.
In turn, the Swedish Ambassador in Moscow, Peter Erickson acknowledged that the legal grounds for blocking the project “Nord stream-2” no.
The project “Northern stream-2” involves the construction of two lines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia via the Baltic sea to Germany. The new pipeline will be laid alongside the already existing “Northern stream”. Partners of Gazprom are companies Engie, Shell, OMV, and Wintershall Uniper. The project cost is estimated at 9.5 billion euros.