Germany may abandon five projects related to Russian Nord Stream-2

The agency claims that the prospects for their implementation are too vague. They will be reinstated in the plan when the necessary permits for the construction of the Nord Stream-2 have been obtained, reads the regulator's press release.

At the same time, three of these projects have not been sufficiently developed, therefore the agency cannot approve them yet. According to the information of operators of main pipeline networks, there is no longer any need to implement another two projects due to changed plans, the ministry said.

Read alsoEU Commission seeks mandate to negotiate Nord Stream-2 deal with RussiaAccording to Jochen Homann, the head of the agency, by such amendments, the government protects German gas consumers from unnecessary expenses. Such expensive projects to expand the German gas transmission network should be implemented only if they are really needed, he said.

The plan for the development of the gas transmission network is drawn up by the operators of the main pipelines every two years and then checked by the Federal Network Agency. The decision by the agency on the necessary measures for the development of gas transmission networks are mandatory for execution by operators.

Read alsoEstonia considers Russia’s Nord Stream 2 possible threat to EuropeAs UNIAN reported earlier, in early September 2015, Russia's gas giant Gazprom, Shell, OMV, and E. On signed a shareholders' agreement on a joint project company, which would be engaged in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

According to Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolev, the pipeline in no way contributes to the diversification of gas supplies to the EU and does not provide the European Union with access to new sources of gas. Moreover, the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project will lead to the fact that the entry points of Russian gas supply into the EU will be almost entirely concentrated in Germany. However, the existing gas pipelines between the north of Germany and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe do not have enough capacity to deliver the necessary volumes of gas to the eastern European regions.

On April 24, 2017, Gazprom and its European partners signed an agreement on financing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

UNIAN memo. Nord Stream 2 project involves the construction of two strings of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year from the Russian coast via the Baltic Sea to Germany. A new pipeline is expected to be built next to Nord Stream.