Nord Stream 2 does not endanger EU gas security: Germany

Germany's economy ministry has concluded that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline does not pose a threat to either German or EU gas supply security, it said on October 26, after consulting with other bloc member states.

The ministry consulted with Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, as part of the process of deciding whether the Nord Stream 2 operating company should be certified as an independent transmission system operator.

The Nord Stream 2 company is 100%-owned by Gazprom, which will also supply all of the gas that flows through the pipeline. Under a recent EU gas directive amendment, pipelines like Nord Stream 2 that run from third countries still must comply with EU energy market rules on unbundling and third-party access.

The ministry has sent its analysis to German energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur, which will use it as a key consideration in deciding whether to certify the operator or not. It has until early January to make that decision, which will then be passed to the European Commission for review.