Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG) has said that the launching of the €9.5bn (US$11bn) Nord Stream 2 pipeline will increase the risks to the security of gas supplies to the European Union (EU).
The Polish firm alongside its German subsidiary PGNiG Supply & Trading (PST) has filed its position within the certification procedure as Nord Stream 2 operator to the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy in Germany.
PGNiG claimed that the 1,230km pipeline between Russia and Germany does not create any additional supply route to Europe. Instead, it is intended to bypass the conventional supply routes from the eastern direction via Poland and Ukraine.
Both PGNiG and PST stressed the control of the pipeline by the dominant supplier, which is said to have a significant bearing on the security of energy supplies to the EU and its member states.
PGNiG and PST were granted rights by the German Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) last month to take part in the certification proceedings for the pipeline project.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is designed to supply 55bn cubic metres (bcm) of Russian natural gas to the European Union through the Baltic Sea. It is expected to begin operations by the year-end.
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