Nord Stream 2 Certification On 'Stop Clock,' Regulators Require More Documents - Official

The certification process of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is currently suspended by German regulators while expecting more documents to be submitted in order to complete the process within the specified four-month time frame, European Commission Spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy Tim McPhie said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2022) The certification process of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is currently suspended by German regulators while expecting more documents to be submitted in order to complete the process within the specified four-month time frame, European Commission Spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy Tim McPhie said on Friday.

Germany's Federal Network Agency told Sputnik on Wednesday that the certification of the pipeline operator would resume as soon as the main assets of the German subsidiary are transferred and the document package is verified. Bundesnetzagentur did not specify the timing for the resumption.

"They (the German regulator) have four months to certify this project from the time when it has been submitted. They are actually at the moment in a stop the clock procedure, because they are waiting for the submission of some more documents, after that process is completed at the national level; the draft certification decision is referred to the commission, and we would then give an opinion on a draft certification decision within two months extendable by two months in certain circumstances," McPhie said during a briefing of the European Commission.

US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said on Thursday that Washington would cooperate with Berlin to prevent Nord Stream 2 from moving forward in the event of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Nord Stream 2 is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. On September 10, Russia's Gazprom announced that the construction of the pipeline had been completed. The process of certifying Nord Stream 2 AG as the pipeline's independent operator is currently underway to ensure that the project complies with the conditions of the February 12, 2019 EU Gas Directive. The German regulators were initially expected to make the decision in January 2022.