Gazprom Head Says Gas Deliveries Via Nord Stream 2 Will Not Start on 1 October

The construction of the pipeline was officially finalised last week; however, the project still has to go through legal procedures before the gas starts flowing.

Deliveries of gas via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will not start at the beginning of next month, Gazprom Head Alexei Miller said on Wednesday, addressing Bloomberg reports on the issue.

"No. Deliveries will not start on 1 October", Miller told reporters.

Previously, the German Federal Network Agency (BNA) stated that the certification of Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent operator must be completed before the launch of the pipeline.

On 10 September the Russian gas giant announced that the construction of the pipeline was fully completed, noting that the first gas supplies to the European market could be expected during this heating season.

In this April 9, 2010 file photo, a Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone in Portovaya Bay some 170 km (106 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg, Russia, during a ceremony marking the start of construction for the Nord Stream pipeline.

© AP Photo / Dmitry Lovetsky

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall. The 745-mile twin pipeline is designed to deliver natural gas from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea.

From the very beginning, it faced stern opposition from the US and its allies in Eastern Europe. Washington claimed that the pipeline jeopardised European security and slapped two rounds of sanctions on the project, despite protests from Moscow and Berlin.