The European Commission has postponed indefinitely the decision on whether to allow Gazprom a larger access to the 36 bcm/year Opal gas pipeline in north-eastern Germany. However, the Russian Energy Ministry expects the decision to be taken by mid-September 2014.
The Opal gas pipeline connects Gazprom's 55 bcm/year Nord Stream gas pipeline land fall station in Greifswald to the Brandov point at the Czech border. Under the EU's Third Energy Package, Gazprom can't use more than 50% of its capacities (third party access rule); in 2013, the Russian company requested the European Commission to exempt the Opal gas pipeline from this TPA rule. The European Commission and the German energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) will prolong the deadline for a decision, fearing for the security of energy supplies to Europe.
Source: OPAL
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