The controversial gas pipeline connecting Germany and Russia has been completed but German officials have now blocked its certification process, according to dw.com.
„The subsidiary set to operate the German part of Nord Stream 2 does not meet the conditions to be an independent transmissions operator,” said a German regulator on Tuesday.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency stated that it could be certified only if that operator was organized in a legal form under German law.
„The certification would stay suspended until the main assets and human resources have been transferred to the subsidiary,” added the officials.
The suspension comes as the Switzerland-based company Nord Stream 2 AG plans to establish a subsidiary under German law only for the German section of the pipeline.
Nord Stream 2 said it had been notified by the regulator but explained, „We are not in the position to comment on the details of the procedure.”
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is to transport gas from Russia to Germany and to other countries. It is owned by Russian-controlled gas giant Gazprom with investment from several European companies. The pipeline was built under the Baltic Sea and bypasses Poland and Ukraine, which have both raised objections.
Recently, critics accused Russia of deliberately cutting its gas supply to Europe as a ploy to speed up Germany’s certification of the pipeline. Moscow has denied the allegations.