No launch for Nord Stream 2 before July, says German regulator

German energy regulator BNetzA reported on December 16 that it would not take a decision on whether the Nord Stream 2 AG operating company can be certified as an independent transmission operator in the first half of next year.

BNetzA suspended the certification process last month, warning that the Gazprom-owned, Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 company would first need to transfer its assets to Germany and align itself further with German law. 

"There will be no decisions in the first half [of 2022]," BNetzA president Jochen Homann said at a press conference.

The January gas delivery contract at the Dutch TTF hub closed at  €142.77 ($162)/MWh on December 16, up from €132.3/MWh a day earlier. It has since subsided to €138/MWh.

The process has started for creating a German subsidiary for Nord Stream 2, Homann said, noting that certification work would not resume until it had received the needed documents from Nord Stream 2. After BNetzA reaches a decision on certification, it will then be passed to the European Commission for review. 

Meanwhile, Nord Stream 2 AG announced on December 17 that the pipeline's second  string was now being filled with gas.

"The gas-in procedure for the second string of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has started," Nord Stream 2 said in a statement. "Like the first string, the second string will be gradually filled with gas to build the required inventory and pressure."

Pre-commissioning activities on the string were completed to ensure its integrity, Nord Stream 2, noting it would provide further technical updates "in due time."