Timing of Nord Stream 2 gas link startup dependent on German regulator: official

Moscow, September 10 - Neftegaz.RU. At a briefing, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow hoped that flows could begin «soon» via the new 55 Bcm/year pipeline.
Zakharova was quoted as saying by Tass:

• The timing of the start of commercial supplies depends on the position of the German regulator

Nord Stream 2 AG, the Switzerland-based operator of the pipeline, applied in June for certification as an independent transmission operator with the German regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA).
This certification would be needed before commercial deliveries via the pipeline could begin.

Gazprom has reportedly been planning to launch 1^st flows at the start of October, but it seems probable that it would not be able to do so without approval from BNetzA.
A Nord Stream 2 spokesperson, meanwhile, referred Platts to its statement on Sept. 6, which said the pipeline operator's goal was to begin operations before the end of 2021.
The spokesperson said:

• We will inform about further steps in due time

2-string line
Pipelaying work on Nord Stream 2 was completed on Sept. 6 with the final welding on the 2^nd 27.5 Bcm/year string, paving the way for pre-commissioning work to take place.
The 1^st 27.5 Bcm/year string was completed in June, and pre-commissioning work has been ongoing since then.

The completion of pipelaying of the 2,460 km 2-string pipeline system marks the end of a lengthy delay to the project after the threat of US sanctions saw previous pipelaying work on the pipeline halted in December 2019.

The availability of Nord Stream 2 is a key factor currently impacting the European gas market, with benchmark prices having broken through the Eur55/MWh mark on continued supply concerns.

Gazprom on Aug. 19 said it could still supply 5.6 Bcm of gas via Nord Stream 2 in 2021, but company officials on Aug. 31 said flows via the pipeline would not have a «major» impact on overall supplies to Europe for the year as a whole.

Regulatory review
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for BNetzA told Platts last week that the documents submitted for the unbundling certification procedure were still being reviewed.
The spokesperson said:

• Whether or which documents will be requested subsequently is open.
• Once the application documents are complete, the Bundesnetzagentur has 4 months to prepare a draft decision
• Should the pipeline begin operations while the case is pending, the operator could be subjected to penalties

However, the regulator could allow flows to begin as part of its draft decision provided it gives justification for doing so.
Once BNetzA publishes its draft decision, it then passes to the European Commission to give its opinion before being returned to the German regulator for a final decision, a process that could also take up to 4 months.

The pipeline must also be technically certified as complete, a task made more difficult by the withdrawal from the project of certification company DNV due to the threat of US sanctions.
S&P Global Platts Analytics said Sept. 6 it still expects first flows from Nord Stream 2 in October, but the lack of certifications presents a risk of delay.