OREANDA-NEWS. On Wednesday, June 30, the Supreme Land Court in Dusseldorf began considering a complaint filed by Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, against the Federal Grid Agency (BNA) of Germany.

BNA rejected the application of Nord Stream 2 AG to exempt the pipeline from European regulations in German waters. The justification stated that the gas pipeline was not completed until May 23, 2019 and therefore does not fall under the exceptions from the EU gas directive.

The Federal Agency for Networks is confident that during commissioning, Nord Stream-2 should be subject to regulatory measures provided for by the legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany, European standards requiring the separation of companies supplying gas and companies transporting it, as well as provisions concerning access to the network and prices.

Representatives of Nord Stream 2 AG, in turn, are sure that the concept of «completed» or «finished» should not be interpreted narrowly, but the German regulator does not agree with this.

According to the new EU gas directive, the operator of Nord Stream-2 should not be dependent on «Gazprom», and 50% of it's capacity should be reserved for alternative suppliers. Exceptions are possible, but only with the approval of the European Commission.