German court: Opal is available to Gazprom

A court in Düsseldorf confirmed its July decision to lift the ban on the auction for the additional capacity of the Opal gas pipeline. According to the operator, this court decision is final. This means that gas from Nord Stream will be able to flow to the south of Europe more than before.

The dispute over Opal has been going on for several months. It is along this route, via the Polish-German gas pipeline, that gas transported across the Baltic Sea via the Nord Stream can reach central and then southern Europe. In October 2016, the European Commission granted Gazprom exclusive rights to half of the pipeline's capacity and allowed the Russian giant to participate in auctions for another 40 percent.

In December 2016, the Polish authorities filed a complaint with the EU court, stating that the decision taken by the EC contradicts the principle of diversification of the proposal and poses a threat to it. A similar complaint to the General Court in Dusseldorf was submitted by the German branch of the Polish company PGNiG Supply & Trading. As a guarantee, the court decided to temporarily suspend the application of the October EU decision and imposed a ban on the auction for the additional capacity of the Opal gas pipeline. On Friday, the court upheld its decision and declared it final.

This decision will allow Gazprom to distribute more gas in Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline and at the same time raise questions about the plans of the current gas generating unit in Poland.