Pipeline politics
Germany to build LNG plant in ‘gesture’ to US drive to sell more
Germany will choose where to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal by the end of 2018 as a gesture to the United States, which wants to ship more gas to Europe, the Bundesrepublik's economy minister said on Tuesday (18 September).
A ‘grand gas bargain’ with Russia is in the pipeline, experts believe
The European Commission's push to rewrite the EU's Third Gas Directive is doomed, but Brussels has not withdrawn its proposal because it is preparing a "grand bargain” with Russia, experts told a EURACTIV event on Wednesday (5 September).
German company ‘fully committed’ to Nord Stream 2 despite fear of US sanctions
The German company Uniper said it was "fully committed" to the planed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, despite "a very bad feeling" about US sanctions against Russia. EURACTIV Poland’s media partner “Gazeta Wyborcza” reports.
After Trump attack on Russia ties, Merkel eyes Azeri gas
Castigated by US President Donald Trump as relying too much on Russian gas supplies, German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads to Azerbaijan this week to discuss the development of a southern pipeline to deliver gas to Europe from the Caspian.
Putin and Merkel meet to find solution on gas pipeline Nord Stream 2
Russia and Germany are set to proceed with the completion of a second natural gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea between the two countries. EURACTIV's media partner Clean Energy Wire reports.
Friendship no more: How Russian gas is a problem for Germany
For decades, the Friendship pipeline has delivered oil from Russia to Europe, heating German homes even in the darkest days of the Cold War. But the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline is becoming a problem for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
EU and Ukraine in tug of war over Naftogaz unbundling
The European Commission has repeated its insistence on breaking up the Ukrainian national gas and oil monopoly Naftogaz, separating transmission from production and supply, which the country had agreed to as a condition for receiving massive Western financing.
Russia and Ukraine in EU-backed talks to avoid fresh ‘gas wars’
Officials from Moscow and Kyiv were set to gather in Berlin on Tuesday (17 July) for EU-backed talks on the future of the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine in a bid to minimise disputes when the current contract expires next year.
Kremlin accuses Trump of trying to bully Europe into buying US LNG
The Kremlin yesterday (12 July) rejected US President Donald Trump's description of Germany as a "captive" of Russia due to its energy reliance, saying his statement was part of a US campaign to bully Europe into buying American energy supplies.
Trump begins NATO summit with Nord Stream 2 attack
US President Donald Trump launched a strong verbal attack on Germany on Wednesday (11 July) for its support to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, aimed at bringing more Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
EU lawmakers back plan for European Investment Bank work in Iran
EU lawmakers gave approval on Wednesday (4 July) for the European Investment Bank (EIB) to do business in Iran, overcoming a blocking attempt and keeping alive plans to save the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran that Washington has abandoned.
China’s Belt and Road initiative, explained by Kazakhstan
Roman Vassilenko, deputy minister of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, met on Wednesday (4 July) with a group of international journalists from around the world to field questions about his country's development and the China-promoted Belt and Road initiative.
EU, Baltics, Poland target Russia grid separation by 2025
The Baltic nations, Poland and the European Commission agreed Thursday (28 June) on a roadmap to synchronise the region’s electricity network with the rest of continental Europe’s by 2025 and end their reliance on the Russian grid.
Bulgarian gas hub plans raise eyebrows in Brussels
Bulgaria launched a tender today (27 June) for a new gas link with Turkey in a push to persuade Russia to extend the second part of the Turkish Stream pipeline to its border rather than Greece.
Poland wants to speed up progress on gas directive
Ten EU member states support Poland's position which calls for accelerating work on the amendment to the European gas directive, aimed against the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. EURACTIV Poland reports.
Three presidents inaugurate TANAP pipeline in Turkey
The presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia will inaugurate today (12 June) the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), a key section of Europe's long-delayed Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), according to announcements made in the three country's media.
All eyes on Denmark after Sweden awards Nord Stream 2 permit
Denmark is the last country still to complete its national permit procedure for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline designed to bring Russian gas offshore to Germany under the Baltic Sea, after Nord Stream 2 obtained a permit from the Swedish government yesterday (7 June).
New Italian minister calls the TAP pipeline ‘pointless’
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte comfortably won a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament yesterday (6 June), but divisions inside his coalition put at risk a major gas pipeline project, seen by Brussels as a cornerstone of EU’s energy security.
Azerbaijan inaugurates Southern Gas Corridor key terminal
Azerbaijan inaugurated on Tuesday (29 May) a terminal that is planned to be the starting point of the first pipeline to transport gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, bypassing Russia.
As expected, Vestager lets Gazprom off the hook
The EU's antitrust regulators have ended their investigation into Gazprom without imposing any fines, the Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager announced on Thursday (24 May). The Russian gas giant welcomed the EU's decision and promised to reform.
Radev pleads in Moscow for ‘Bulgarian Stream’ pipeline
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev used the first day of an official trip to Moscow on Monday (21 May) to try and resurrect plans for a pipeline that would bring gas directly from Russia to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, after it was cancelled in 2014.
US: Nord Stream raises intelligence concerns
The planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany raises US intelligence and military concerns since it would allow Moscow to place new listening and monitoring technology in the Baltic Sea, a senior US official said on Thursday (17 May).
Europe grapples with Dutch gas production ‘collapse’
For the first time, the Netherlands became a net importer of gas last year, reflecting the inexorable decline in production from Europe’s North Sea fields – an issue EU policymakers are only starting to come to terms with.