BRUSSELS, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - The European Commission (EC) could postpone once again the October deadline for a decision on granting Russian energy giant, Gazprom, access to the Opal pipeline, an EC source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
“It is difficult to determine an exact date for the adoption of a decision. The deadline is set for the end of October, but it can be prolonged,” a source said.
The deadline had earlier been set for September, but was subsequently postponed to October, as the EC argued that further technical aspects needed to be assessed.
The Opal pipeline connects the Nord Stream pipeline with Europe’s gas transportation network. It runs Russian natural gas across Germany to the Czech Republic and further. Gazprom was unable to run Nord Stream at full capacity because of European restrictions. Under the terms of the EU’s Third Energy Package, Gazprom can only use 50 percent of the pipeline, and reserve the other half for transportation by independent gas suppliers.
Gazprom asked the European Commission to exclude Opal from the Third Energy Package rules, and Germany supported the move, fearing that Russian gas deliveries to Europe via Ukraine may be interrupted.
