Nord Stream 2 AG May Be Punished If Launches Pipeline Before Operator Certification

BERLIN (Sputnik) - Nord Stream 2 AG will face punishment if the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is launched before the certification of an independent operator, the German Federal Network Agency (BNA) told Sputnik.

"If the separation requirements are not met at the time of commissioning, the Federal Network Agency can punish for this as an administrative offence", the agency said.

According to the BNA, the application filed by Nord Stream 2 AG for being certified as an independent operator is still under consideration, and there is no deadline for the completion of this procedure.

The agency added that under the law, after receiving a full package of documents, it has four months to prepare a draft resolution, which should later be submitted to the European Commission for comments.

A road sign directs traffic towards the Nord Stream 2 gas line landfall facility entrance in Lubmin, Germany, September 10, 2020.

© REUTERS / Hannibal Hanschke

Earlier, the operator of Nord Stream 2, Nord Stream 2 AG, applied to the BNA for certification as an independent operator. This is done in order to comply with the rules of the EU's third energy package. This is, in particular, about unbundling — the separation of companies that are engaged in the production and transportation of gas through the pipeline.

The construction of Nord Stream 2 was fully completed on Friday morning, Gazprom said on Telegram.

The pipeline aims to carry Russian natural gas to Germany across the Baltic Sea. It consists of two 1,230-kilometer (764-mile) long lines with a combined annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas