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Poland: Competition regulator starts action against Nord Stream

By  |  May 14, 2018

Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has launched proceedings against Russian gas giant Gazprom and five other international companies financing the contested Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Polish energy market expert Wojciech Jakóbik said that companies financing the planned pipeline from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea “may have created a sort of gas cartel, which threatens gas prices in central and eastern Europe, including Poland.”

The pipeline will double the amount of gas that Russia can deliver to Germany via the Baltic, thereby making it easier for Gazprom to circumvent Ukraine, which is currently one of the main transit routes for Russian gas destined for Europe. In 2016, the UOKiK blocked a joint venture between Gazprom and five European companies—Shell, Uniper, Wintershall, Engie and OMV—which was designed to finance and construct the pipeline.

Full Content: Financial Times

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