BERLIN, December 16. /TASS/: Germany's energy regulator expects no decision on Nord Stream 2 to be taken in the first half of 2022, President of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) Jochen Homann said on Thursday.
"There will be no decisions in the first half (of 2022)," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Earlier, the regulator halted the process of the pipeline’s certification, Homann said, adding that it would proceed with it once it receives necessary documents from Nord Stream 2 AG.
The construction of Nord Stream 2 was fully completed on September 10, 2021. To start pumping gas, Nord Stream 2’s operator has to obtain the green light from the German regulator. The certification has been suspended since the Swiss-headquartered operator Nord Stream 2 AG must register a subsidiary in Germany. Until that is accomplished, the certification process has been frozen.
Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that Nord Stream 2 is a commercial project, which is being implemented together with its European partners. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has expressed bewilderment that a number of countries seek to make the fate of the gas pipeline dependent on politically-motivated conditions. Russia has also repeatedly stated that it has never politically weaponized energy resources.
