“Common sense has triumphed”: Denmark issued permission to lay Nord Stream 2

The Danish Energy Agency has issued a permit to lay the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on the continental shelf of the country south-east of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

“Nord Stream 2 AG has received permission to build a gas pipeline system on the Danish continental shelf,” a statement released by the agency’s press service said.

The document is issued in accordance with the obligations of Denmark under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. According to them, Copenhagen should ensure the construction of transit pipelines taking into account resources and the environment and, if necessary, mark the route.

The pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG expressed satisfaction with the decision of the Danish side and promised to continue cooperation with Copenhagen.

“We are pleased that we have received Danish consent for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas trunkline on the Baltic Sea continental shelf southeast of Bornholm Island. We will continue constructive cooperation with the Danish authorities to successfully complete the construction of the gas pipeline, ”said Samira Kiefer Andersson, Danish Permission Manager at Nord Stream 2 AG.

According to the company, the preparatory work, including the installation of protective concrete pillows and the device of a stone sketch at the intersection with existing infrastructure, as well as the laying of pipes themselves, will begin in the coming weeks.

“Pipes from the logistics terminal in Mukran on the German island of Rugen will be used to build the Danish section,” the company said.

Recall that Nord Stream 2 is two strands of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. m of gas per year directed from the coast of Russia in the Baltic Sea to Germany. According to the pipeline operator, shortly after the promulgation of the Danish decision, about 2,100 km of the gas pipeline have been laid to date.

It is noted that pipe laying has been completed in the waters of Russia, Finland and Sweden, as well as mostly in the waters of Germany. Work on two coastal areas is nearing completion, according to Nord Stream 2 AG.

Commenting on the decision of Denmark, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy Igor Ananskih noted that confidence in the positive decision of Copenhagen was earlier.

“I am glad that common sense has triumphed. As Miller said that everything is on schedule, and there is no doubt that Nord Stream - 2 will be commissioned on schedule, its work will be fully operational on time, ”the deputy said in an interview with RT.

In turn, the head of the analytical department of the National Energy Security Fund Alexander Pasechnik also indicated that Copenhagen “pulled to the last,” but the final outcome was successful.

He drew attention to the fact that now there is every opportunity to pass the project before the end of 2019, as planned.

“There are still about five weeks left to lay the pipe in Danish waters. The pipelayer has already sold the entire offshore part except for this Danish section, ”the expert noted.

He emphasized that these events are capable of changing the negotiation format with Ukraine, which opposes Nord Stream 2 because of fears of being left without income from the transit of Russian gas.

“Commissioning may take some time and the first gas will go not from January 1, but a little later. But the possible delay is measured at most for weeks. Of course, this essentially completes Gazprom’s strategy to bypass Ukrainian transit and gas transportation systems. But for now, there is no talk of a complete rejection of Ukrainian transit, ”said the expert.

Naftogaz admitted that they were expecting a positive decision on Nord Stream 2 from Denmark. According to the head of the Ukrainian company, Andrey Kobolev, now it is even more important for Kiev to complete the reform of the gas market and introduce EU standards.

“We expected this decision during the fall. Denmark’s principled position delayed the project for some time, but geopolitical weapons cannot be stopped with instruments that regulate exclusively trade relations, ”he wrote on Facebook.

In turn, representatives of the German Cabinet of Ministers expressed the view that the Nord Stream 2 project has a political component, and the issue of future gas transit through Ukraine needs to be worked out.

“We have always talked about the presence of a political component in Nord Stream 2, and have repeatedly said that gas transit through Ukraine must have a future,” RIA Novosti quoted the official spokesman of the German government Steffen Seibert.

According to him, Germany "continues to support the work of the European Commission in trilateral negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to continue gas transit."

Note that Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that Nord Stream 2 is an exclusively commercial project and there is no political background in it.

The European Commission itself refused to comment on the decision of Denmark. However, the association indicated that the EU gas directive would apply to Nord Stream 2.

“We do not comment on the decision of the Danish authorities. As for the finalized Gas Directive, it came into force this summer, ”said TASS spokeswoman for the European Commission’s Deputy Chairman, European Commissioner for Energy Union Marosh Shefchovich Anna-Kais Itkonen.

At the same time, the Austrian oil and gas company OMV stated that they were "very happy" with the decision of the Danish authorities.

Recall that amendments to the EU Gas Directive were adopted in April. This regulation applies to offshore pipelines the requirements that apply to onshore pipelines. In particular, we are talking about unbundling and access of other companies to 50% of the main line capacity, non-discriminatory tariffs and transparency.

Director of the Energy Development Fund Sergei Pikin pointed out that a positive decision by Denmark was expected, but the timing of a response from Copenhagen was in question.

“There was no clear understanding of the timing of this decision. The question here was not that the answer would be positive or negative, but that, in principle, there would be some in the foreseeable future. This foreseeable future has come, this is a plus, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.