OPAL pipeline decision delayed again

The European Commission may once again delay a decision on providing full access for Russian energy giant Gazprom to the OPAL gas pipeline, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday.

“I believe this is not the last delay,” Novak told journalists. “It seems to be [the EU’s] principal decision not to consider this issue yet, although all the necessary agreements with the German regulator were reached in late 2013.”

The issue was supposed to be considered on 15 September, but the deadline was eventually moved to 31 October. The European Commission has been postponing the decision on the issue since 10 March.

EU authorities, citing tension in Ukraine, have asked for a delay until at least the end of October on whether to allow Russia greater access to the Opal natural gas pipeline in northeastern Germany, a letter seen by Reuters shows.

Russian gas exporter Gazprom is currently allowed only limited access to the pipeline under a European Union law, which seeks to prevent energy suppliers from dominating infrastructure.

But no one else has taken up the spare capacity on Opal, which provides a link between Russia's Nord Stream pipeline to Germany and the Czech Republic.

Edited from various sources by Elizabeth Corner

Sources: Itar Tass, Yahoo

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