German Regulator Reportedly Says Decision on Nord Stream 2 Not Expected in First Half of 2022

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The German energy regulator has said that the decision on the Nord Stream 2 certification will not be made in the first half of 2022, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

According to Bloomberg, the regulator said that there will be "no decision" on the certification in the first six months of the next year.

The head of Germany’s federal network agency Bundesnetzagentur, Jochen Homann, said that the agency had not yet received the documents necessary to continue the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, media reported on Thursday. The certification process will continue when the relevant documents are submitted to the agency, Homann said, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, the pipeline's operator, the Nord Stream 2 AG, said it is working on the establishment of a subsidiary in Germany but is not yet commenting on details.

"The Federal Network Agency of Germany (BNetzA) on November 16 published information on the temporary suspension of the certification procedure in connection with the establishment of a subsidiary of Nord Stream 2. Our company is taking this step to ensure we comply with applicable rules and regulations," the pipeline’s operator said.

Bundesnetzagentur suspended the certification process last month until the project's operator complies with the necessary requirements.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was finished earlier this year and is ready to start pumping gas to Germany – from where it can be carried further west and south. However, the project first requires certification from German and European regulators.

A joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall, the Nord Stream 2 is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. The project had been opposed by the United States from the very start, with Washington citing concerns over Russia's alleged plans to use the pipeline as leverage in relations with Europe, an allegation Moscow has repeatedly denied. At the same time, the US has been trying to promote its liquified natural gas to Europe.

After a series of sanctions against companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2, Washington reached an agreement with Berlin in July to greenlight the completion of the pipeline, without the threat of new US sanctions.