Pipeline politics
EU threatens Turkey with sanctions over Cyprus drilling
The European Union is set to curb contacts and funding for Ankara in retaliation for what it calls Turkey’s “illegal” drilling for gas and oil off Cyprus and stands ready to ramp up sanctions further, according to a draft statement....
Baltic power games in the ascendancy
Europe’s power politics are playing out more and more in the Baltic Sea, as the energy potential of the sea basin shifts more into the limelight.
EU, Russia confident about Ukraine gas transit deal, despite tense talks
Russia and the EU on Thursday (13 June) expressed hope that a solution could be found to allow gas supply transits through Ukraine to continue from next year.
US calls ‘false’ the narrative that LNG cannot compete with pipeline gas
US prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) being shipped to Europe will remain competitive with Russian piped gas prices over the long term, US energy secretary Rick Perry said on Wednesday (5 June).
In northwest Siberia, Russia’s flagship gas project defies pipeline politics
Rarely has the construction of a gas pipeline in Europe caused such a heated dispute as Nord Stream 2. EURACTIV went to the source to explore the economic, political, legal and societal dimensions of Russia's controversial pipeline project.
Ukrainian President-elect calls for IMF talks to lower gas prices for households
Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy's team on Wednesday (24 April) called on the government and state energy company Naftogaz to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund on lowering household gas prices from 1 May.
Weber seeks powers to stop Nord Stream 2
The lead candidate for Europe's conservative bloc in next month's EU elections has said he would try to stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if he becomes European Commission president, according to an interview published Tuesday (23 April).
Poland wins €215m EU grant for gas link to Norway
The European Commission today officially signed a €214.9 million grant for works on a new Baltic gas pipeline project aimed at connecting Poland and Denmark with Norway.
Denmark delays Nord Stream 2 approval
Denmark has decided that it will not grant permission for a northern route of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, and has asked the Russian-owned company to look into a southern route instead. It is likely to delay the completion of the controversial project.
Commission eager to see the capacity of Southern gas corridor doubled
A recent meeting of government officials and big energy companies in Azerbaijan signalled ambitions about doubling the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), and of more European countries becoming clients.
Serbia snags piece of Turkish Stream pipeline pie
Serbia has been given the go-ahead to build a section of the Turkish Stream pipeline from the Bulgarian to the Hungarian border, so long as not only Russian gas is transmitted through the pipeline. EURACTIV Serbia reports.
EU strikes deal on rules to govern Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline
The European Union reached a deal on Tuesday (12 February) on new rules governing import gas pipelines including Russia’s planned Nord Stream 2, but added a special loophole to make sure the German-backed project can go ahead.
France ‘steps on the gas’ in eurobudget talks
France made surprising back-and-forth moves on Nord Stream 2, which could be explained by the country's effort to secure German and Dutch support in a completely different dossier.
France now against Nord Stream 2
The gas pipeline has long been controversial and now majorities are shifting within the EU. Can the project still be stopped? EURACTIV Germany’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Nord Stream 2 in dire straits after French U-turn
France plans to back an EU proposal to regulate Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, its foreign ministry said on Thursday (7 February), potentially threatening its completion and dealing a blow to Germany which has been trying to garner support for the project.
Moscow warms to idea of Croatia’s LNG gateway as project stumbles on
Croatia’s plan to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island of Krk has taken another turn, after Russia’s ambassador in Zagreb, Anvar Azimov, said Moscow has nothing against its construction, marking a reversal of Russia’s position. EURACTIV...
Russia uses gas as a lever for annexation, says Ukraine official
Russia has no interest in finding a compromise in the EU-mediated Ukraine gas transit talks and is using energy as a lever to weaken Kyiv in a bid to further the country's annexation, a top official of Ukraine's biggest utility, Naftogaz, told EURACTIV.com.
EU continues to support France-Spain gas link, despite setback
The gas interconnector between France and Spain remains a project of common European interest eligible for EU funding, the European Commission has said, despite a decision by French and Spanish regulators who rejected a key section of the planned pipeline.
Regulators reject key section of planned France-Spain gas pipeline
The energy regulators of Spain and France have rejected an investment request to build the central section of the planned Midi-Catalonia (MidCat) gas pipeline linking the two countries, in a move that could spell the end of the entire project, green activists said.
Russia plays for time in EU-mediated Ukraine gas transit talks
The EU mediated on Monday (21 January) talks between Moscow and Kyiv on the future of Russian gas transit via Ukraine, the only decision being that the sides agreed to meet again in May.
UK revealed as EU champion of fossil fuel subsidies
The United Kingdom spends the most in the EU on subsidising fossil fuels, according to a new report by the European Commission, which also found that EU-wide payments have failed to decrease despite the bloc’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change.
US threatens EU companies with sanctions over Nord Steam 2, Turkish Stream
A transatlantic tiff over Europe’s natural gas supply came to the boil on Sunday (13 January), as Donald Trump’s ambassador to Germany threatened firms involved in a pipeline from Russia with sanctions. At stake is a mixture of economic and security interests...
Fact-check: Did EU gas liberalisation rules put Bulgaria’s national security at risk?
Bulgarian minister Temenuzhka Petkova has said her country preferred paying a multi-million euro fine rather than follow a Commission injunction. Such a reform, in her words, would have threatened the country's national security. EURACTIV checked the facts.