Copenhagen/Moskow, October 4 (WNM) - Denmark has finished the public consultations of the environmental assessment of Nord Stream 2. The companies involved hope for a fast decision. But a spokesman of the Danish Energy Agency told The World News Monitor that the regulator will run a thorough assessment of the impact of the pipeline.
The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) is in the process of reviewing the environmental impact of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
A DEA spokesman told The World News Monitor, that Denmark “has requested the Nord Stream 2 AG company to investigate and submit an environmental impact assessment (EIA), accompanied by a permit application, for a route south-east of Bornholm”.
The DEA explains: “The reason for the request was that the DEA must ensure that a permit to the most optimal route in relation to environment and safety is granted. The immediate assessment is that a south-eastern route on the continental shelf is more appropriate than the north-western route based on a number of environmental and safety parameters such as impact on shipping and Natura 2000 areas.”
According to the DEA, “June 28th, Nord Stream 2 AG withdrew its initial 2017 application for a route through Danish territorial waters south of Bornholm”.
The Danish Energy Agency is currently processing the two remaining applications from Nord Stream 2 AG. As for the timeline the DEA spokesman told The World News Monitor: “This process will be concluded as soon as the assessment of the environmental and safety-related impacts is finished.”
The companies are awaiting the decision and are seeking a quick decision by the DEA. Russia threatened that a negative decision might delay the project. According to TASS, Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said: “If Denmark does not give the authorization, the deadline for completion of construction will be postponed by several months.”
Russia is involved in the project by state-owned Gazprom. Gazprom’s European partners in the project include German Uniper and Wintershall, Austrian OMV, French Engie and Anglo-Dutch Shell. Gazprom partners will finance 50% of the project.
Two of the partners say they are positive that Nord Stream 2 will get the permit from Denmark.
At the moment, there is no need to search for additional alternative routes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, there is a good chance to get a construction permit from Denmark, Head of OMV Rainer Seele told reporters on Thursday.
“I am very much convinced that we do not need to discuss any alternative routes in Nord Stream 2 company, because I hear from colleagues from Nord Stream 2 that we have a good chance to get the permit in Denmark,” he said.
He added that only if Nord Stream 2 says that the probability to receive the permit is very low “then I will start thinking”.
Mario Meren, head of the German Wintershall Dea, said in an interview with Rossiya — 24 TV Channel at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum on Friday: “I’m sure that Denmark, if it follows the European rules, will eventually give permission [for the construction of the gas pipeline], I would not want to think about a different development of events. The companies responsible for the project expect to get this permission before the end of the year.”
However the DEA is inclined to conduct a thorough assessment of the environmental impact of the pipeline. The spokesman said: “The deadlines for the public consultation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Nord Stream 2 – South-Eastern route on the continental shelf was respectively the 10th and the 17th of July in Denmark and for the countries in relation to the Espoo Convention (transboundary environmental impacts). The Danish Energy Agency is now addressing the responses received and in parallel assessing the application. It is currently not possible to say how long this process will take. It depends among other things on possible further consultations with countries in relation to the Espoo Convention.”