Decision: Gazprom needs to reduce gas through East German pipeline

Gazprom has to significantly reduce the transit volume in its East German pipelines. So far, the Russian energy company may use 80 percent of the line capacities, but must sell part of it on the market.

In the future, the Russians will only use 40 percent, but completely under their own direction. This was reported by the Federal Network Agency as the competent regulatory authority. Accordingly, it decided so-called supervisory measures against the operator Opal Gastransport and against Gazprom. The decision is no surprise, rather the Bonn authority is implementing a judgment of the Luxembourg EU court.

Gazprom can now use as many line capacities as in 2016

The dispute was about whether Gazprom's capacity on the East German Opal Pipeline could be raised from 40 to 80 percent, which Gazprom was allowed to do in 2016 in a deal approved by Brussels. Poland was against it, Warsaw complained and won - the approval of the European Commission was tipped and the contract was invalid. Now the state that existed before 2016 has been restored: Gazprom uses only 40 percent of its pipeline capacity.

The background is the conflict around Nord Stream. Opal is the extension of the pipeline operated since 2011, which transports Russian gas through the Baltic Sea to Europe. Opal then forwards the gas through Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg and Saxony to the Czech Republic. The Russians rely more on the transport route Baltic Sea, Poland, however, pounding the land route through Eastern Europe - also out of concern to be cut off from the gas flow on the way across the sea.