Polish oil and gas company PGNiG and its German subsidiary PGNiG Supply and Trading have been allowed to join a procedure in which the controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 is seeking a derogation from the European Union’s Third Energy Package requirements.
The decision follows a request made by the company to the German energy market regulatory authority Bundesnetzagentur early in February.
“Polish Oil and Gas Company and the Polish government have consistently pointed to the adverse implications of Nord Stream 2 for the security of supply and competition in the gas market in Central and Eastern Europe,” commented Jerzy Kwieciński, President of the PGNiG Management Board. “Including us in the procedure will help us to defend the interests of the PGNiG Group and gas consumers in the course of the derogation procedure. Nord Stream 2 must not be given preferential treatment.”
Nord Stream 2 AG, the company behind the Nord Stream 2 project, is planning to use the pipeline to deliver gas from Russia to Germany without having to apply for third-party access and unbundling rules or transparent market tariffs. In accordance with applicable law, the decision on whether to grant the derogation will be made by the German regulatory authority Bundesnetzagentur, with the proceedings to be mandatorily concluded by the end of May.
