Politics & Regulation

Last month, on March 20, in response to the U.S.

The German Federal Network Agency must decide by the end of May whether Nord Stream 2 will be subject to European regulation. A new expert opinion is now to refute the arguments of the opponents.

After years of study by TC Energy of Canada, key regulatory approvals, including a presidential permit, and the support of landowners, customers, indigenous groups and numerous partners in the U.S.

In 2017 President  Donald Trump granted federal permits to Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) for the commercial operation of the 1886-km Dakota Access Oil Pipeline. More than two years later, a federal court has ordered the Trump administration to conduct a full environmental review, saying "too many questions remain unanswered.

The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin - Brandenburg cleared yesterday the last remaining legal obstacle to the completion of the Nordstream 2 Gas Pipeline. The sticking point concerned an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a 500-km portion (called EUGAL) of the 1200-km long pipeline.

Natural gas pipeline policies were under review last week in the House of Representatives that, if amended, would have a significant impact on the way gas is transported in the United States.

Though courtroom challenges still hang like a dark cloud over the $8 billion, 1,930-km oil sands pipeline construction project, the Trump administration today approved a right-of-way allowing Keystone XL to be built.

Against a backdrop of proposed changes to environmental rules to speed up pipeline projects, inter alia, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia has rejected Dominion Energy's application for a permit to operate a natural gas compressor station integral to the development of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed on a gas transit contract. A basic regulation for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to Europe have been clarified in a last minute effort.

Following the US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the halt of all remaining construction works, Russia now expects the European Union to find a way out of the situation. The EU has an interest in its own energy security at acceptable prices, said the Russian Vice-Chancellor Dmitry Kozak.

The United States government has long maintained that the development of a second Nord Stream gas pipeline would render Europe too dependent on gas from Russia, making the continent vulnerable to political manipulation.

The USA has once again imposed sanctions in the dispute over the Nord Stream pipeline project. This time it hit the laying ships.

A dispute has arisen between the EU Commission and Parliament over the promotion of energy infrastructure projects.

Work on expanding the Turkish Stream pipeline to Serbia should be completed in the coming weeks. Russian President Vladimir Putin explained this at a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić.

Putin said: "Serbia has been connected to the gas pipeline network, which is an extension of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline".

Even after the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea has gone into operation, Russia intends to continue transporting natural gas through Ukraine. The pipeline should be completed by the end of the year.