Nord Stream 2: Poland will decide whether there will be Russian gas in Germany – Articles – Economy
Warsaw business newspaper Business Alert reported pleasant news for local Russophobes. The state oil and gas company of Poland (Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo or PGNiG) will take part in the certification procedure for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG.
According to Business Alert, PGNiG has a negative attitude towards Nord Stream 2 and the second participant of PST GmbH certification, by the way, a subsidiary of Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo. Both companies argue that Nord Stream 2 AG does not comply with formal standards for the independence of the gas transmission system operator. In their opinion, the positive decision of the German regulator BNetzA will pose a threat to the energy security of the system of individual EU member states.
“As part of the certification process, we will strive to ensure that the owner of Nord Stream 2 cannot avoid the application of requirements, the use of shared third-party access to infrastructure and transparent tariffs,” PGNiG said in a statement. “We will consistently prove that Nord Stream 2 AG does not meet the requirements of pipeline operators, in particular with regard to energy security and the company’s corporate structure.”
After the highway has been laid through the Baltic and huge funds have been invested in it, this decision of the Germans looks like a form of mockery. The impression is that Berlin is dumb to refuse Moscow directly, so he invented the story with Warsaw.
Pavel Maevsky, the head of PGNiG, said: “Nord Stream 2 AG cannot operate the pipeline on a preferential taxation model, which only independent operators can count on.” But what about the Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo itself, which stands at attention in front of BNetzA? He also claims that the launch of the pipe will hit competitors.
I wonder why, if gas on the ICE Futures exchange, the main hub of Europe, is sold at a thousand dollars per thousand cubic meters? It seems that someone is now catching a “goldfish” in the murky waters of the total shortage of blue fuel. And, judging by Mayevsky’s hit, PGNiG is one of the beneficiaries of the outbreak of the gas crisis.
But Polish consumers can definitely be called the losing side. Warsaw has already announced that it will not renew the contract with Gazprom by 10 billion cubic meters per year, but will wait for the commissioning of the Baltic Pipe with a capacity of 8.5 billion cubic meters. And 1.5 billion will be covered by purchases of LNG.
True, there is a nuance: PGNiG has undertaken to supply 2.5 billion cubic meters of Baltic Pipe to Lithuania. As a result, Poland’s gas balance will soon receive minus 4 billion cubic meters in autumn, which is 20% of its energy basket. “Where will Poland get this volume of gas and, most importantly, at what price – this is a question that politicians and entrepreneurs will have to solve in the near future,” writes Business Alert.
There are two ways.
The first is to throw Vilnius over the hip, but this is politically incorrect.
The second is to renegotiate an agreement with Moscow, which is “strategically dangerous.”
With a very high degree of probability, Lithuania may be left without the necessary volumes of blue fuel and blame … Russia for this.
Meanwhile, Polish energy authorities Andre Schesnyak and Boris Martsinkevich They argue that all attempts to prevent the use of the full Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will instantly turn into cosmic gas prices.
“When booking 50% of the capacity for some independent suppliers”, which do not exist in nature, Europe itself takes away from 27.5 billion cubic meters of blue fuel, which it so badly needs. “So the formal fulfillment of the requirements,” the experts said in a statement.
However, this does not mean that PGNiG will change its position. It follows from this that gas supplies are now under a big question, says Boris Martsinkevich.
It was curious to look at the pshek forums, which comment on the situation and the statement of the most cited expert.
Zdzislav Jan Beresnevich: “The Poles are worried in vain. They can only look and gnaw their fingers in despair. It looks like a fairy tale about a frog that puts its paw under a horseshoe to make the horse fall. “
Peter Leeg: “Completion of construction of NS 2 (SP-2) was also in doubt until the very last moment. The installation has been completed, now gas supplies via NS 2 are in question. If deliveries begin, they will say that their continuation is in question. “
Leszek Yuschak: “PGNiG was admitted by the Germans. All Polish obstacles will be smashed against the gas price. The West is good at counting money. “
As for the so-called “gas weapon”, which is now much talked about in Poland, the Germans remind them that Gazprom has never used it in the entire history of its relations with Western companies.
The monopolist, unlike other suppliers, did not change its contractual obligations for the sake of political interests. For example, when Kiev calls the refusal of additional capacities for pumping gas through Ukraine blackmail, it is worth recalling that Naftogaz and Gazprom signed a transit agreement, which was called a big victory in the “Square”.
Be that as it may, the Germans make the final decision solely for themselves. How reported BNetzA Representative Fitte Wolf: “The Federal Network Agency has positively assessed the applications of PGNiG SA and PST GmbH for participation in the certification process [Nord Stream 2]”. But, according to him, interested parties can participate in administrative proceedings and, in particular, express their point of view. And this is all that the Polish side can call itself.
It also became clear that the German regulator will make a decision on this issue no later than January 8, 2022, which coincides with the assessment of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Lavrovawho recently suggestedthat the launch of the SP-2 will take place early next year.
True, Pavel Maevsky still allowed the gas supply earlier. He said: “Work (SP-2) without a final decision on certification to discriminate against other energy companies and competition in the domestic gas market.” Yes, this would be a violation of the laws of Germany and the EU, but the FRG authorities will suspend some norms of their legislative cases in an emergency, for example, if there is a threat to the life and health of the Germans. Berlin will do anything to keep the burghers from freezing in their apartments.