Kyiv wants to participate in the certification of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline operator. This was reported by the Ukrainian state oil and gas company “Naftogaz”, inform “News”.
“Naftogaz, as a national company (…), has applied for participation (…) in the German regulatory body, the Federal Agency for German Networks,” the company’s head Yuri Vitrenko told a news conference.
According to him, the answer should be received within a month. A positive effect is expected in Ukraine.
Naftogaz believes that the certificate should not be issued, as it would violate European law, and Gazprom’s actions are uncompetitive.
Nord Stream 2 stretches from the Russian coast along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to Germany and consists of two pipes with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Its construction was completed on September 10.
The process of certification of Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent pipeline operator is currently underway. It will take place in two stages: first, the German regulator will develop a draft decision, after which it will be evaluated by the European Commission. The whole process can take several months. Berlin has already received a full package of necessary documents from Moscow.
Earlier, the Federal Network Agency of Germany (BNA) issued a permit to participate in the certification procedure of the Polish state oil and gas company PGNiG. Warsaw wants the operator to meet the requirements of the EU’s third energy package, which provides for the division of companies involved in the extraction and transportation of gas through the pipeline. Today Vitrenko clarified that Kyiv agrees its position on this issue with PGNiG.
Nord Stream 2 AG is owned by Russia’s state-owned Gazprom.