Official: Denmark’s ruling on Nord Stream-2 has no deadline

MOSCOW, Jun 19 (PRIME) -- The exact date of Denmark’s decision on whether to allow Gazprom to build the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline cannot be mentioned, spokesman for the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) Ture Falbe-Hansen told PRIME on Wednesday.

“Public discussion is taking place, its completion is scheduled for July 10, while the deadline to schedule consultations with the other states in the framework of the Espoo Convention (of environmental impact assessment in the trans-border context) is on July 17. After the consultations have been held and criticism on the project has been received, it will be considered. Consideration of the application is held at the same time. It is impossible to say now how long this process will take and when the permit can be given,” the official said.

Gazprom executive Sergei Kuznets said on Tuesday that Denmark may be liable to compensate the losses stemming from possible future arrears in construction of Nord Stream-2.

The Nord Stream-2 project envisages construction of two lines of a natural gas pipeline with an annual capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters, running from the Russian shore to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Russian gas giant Gazprom is implementing the project together with Germany’s E.ON and BASF, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, and France’s Engie.

Operator Nord Stream 2 AG said in the third application to the DEA that completion of the construction and the start of its operations could be postponed until the second half of 2020 as Russia has so far failed to secure a construction permit from Denmark. Public hearings in Denmark over the pipeline’s third route were held on Tuesday.

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