“Gazprom gets greater access to Germany’s Opal gas pipeline”

Under a new agreement, Russia's Gazprom will have greater access to the German OPAL connection pipeline in eastern Germany, removing a key hurdle to Gazprom’s plan to double Nord Stream capacity in Nord Stream 2, writes EurActiv. “The latest agreement represents a balanced compromise between the interests of the parties and the demands of the market, which has been brought in line with the German energy law,” Eduard Schmitke, managing director of OPAL Gastransport, said in a statement. Until now, Gazprom had only been allowed to use 50 percent of OPAL under an EU ruling aimed at preventing dominance of supply infrastructure. The EU Commission paved the way for greater access in October.

Read the article in English here and find the OPAL Gastransport press release in English here.