Europe missing gas in Nord Stream 2

Europe, which is suffering from soaring gas prices, is missing out on additional Russian supplies amid a delay to Russia’s top executive Nord Stream 2 pipeline, signaled on Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said European companies investing in projects awaiting approval from German and EU regulators could request additional gas in addition to long-term contracts via the route.

“In my opinion, European consumers are very interested in starting a project, but the companies participating in it have added it as part of a long-term relationship regarding gas supply through this new gas pipeline. I should have been able to submit my request, “Novak told Russia’s national television channel Rossiya-24.

Completed in September, Nord Stream 2 faces resistance from the United States and several European countries, including Poland and Ukraine, and states that it will increase leverage on the Russian continent.

The project is also the focus of a broader conflict between the West and Russia in the tensions over Ukraine.

Novak said he expects Nord Stream 2 to get clearance in mid-2022.

Western partners of the Russian gas giant Gazprom in the project are Germany’s Uniper and BASF’s Wintershally, International Oil Major Shell, Austria’s OMV and France’s Engie.

Some European politicians and experts have accused Russia of refraining from supplying gas to Europe in an attempt to speed up Nord Stream 2 certification.

Russia has denied this, but some of the major buyers of the gas have stated that they are not seeking additional supplies.

Novak also said that the mistakes made by European politicians in implementing energy policy, including the move to reduce long-term gas supply transactions in favor of the spot market, were some of the main reasons behind the soaring gas prices. Said that.

The Yamal-Europe pipeline, which normally sends Russian gas to Western Europe, was operating in reverse mode for four days on Friday, according to data from German network operator Gascade, transporting fuel from Germany to Poland. I showed that.

(Report by Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Olesya Astakhova, and Vladimir Soldatkin edited by Kirsten Donovan and Mark Potter)