German authority rules Nord Stream 2 pipeline subject to EU regulation
FRANKFURT, May 15 (Reuters) - Germany's energy regulator the Bundesnetzagentur has denied the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to run from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea a waiver from European Union gas directives it had applied for, delivering another blow to the delayed plan.
In a statement on Friday, the authority said the infrastructure project, designed by Gazprom to increase direct shipments to Europe, falls under unbundling rules under EU energy laws for its section on German territory.
The Gazprom-led Nord Stream 2 consortium, which also involves five western partners that put up 50% of the finance, had challenged a ruling by the German Lower House of Parliament late last year, which approved tighter regulation on grounds that the project had not been ready before May 23, 2019. (Reporting by Vera Eckert, editing by Riham Alkousaa)