Nord Stream 2 will lead to a rise in gas prices for Eastern Europe – Dixi Group President
The expert pointed to the risks of Gazprom’s project to increase gas supplies to Europe bypassing Ukraine
Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will create many problems for the Central and Eastern Europe countries. This is how Olena Pavlenko, the President of Dixi Group, commented on the resolution of the committee of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which called the North Stream 2 and TurkStream gas pipelines potential levers of political and economic pressure.
Pavlenko said that by supplying about 60% of gas to Germany, Russia would have additional political levers of influence on this country, which plays an important role in shaping the policy, including security policy, of the European Union.
“Russia’s experience of using gas for geopolitical purposes is well known in Ukraine,” Pavlenko said.
She also forecasts a rise in gas prices for a number of countries, including Ukraine, due to the route change.
North Stream 2 will not create any additional sources of supply. It will just reorient the same Russian gas, and block other possible options for diversification,” expert noted.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Committee is concerned about the implementation of North Stream 2 and TurkStream projects. The resolution calls on the governments of the OSCE member states to abandon the use of energy resources as an instrument of subjugation and pressure on countries dependent on their import or transit.
It is worth reminding that a consortium of companies headed by Gazprom has already built the Nord Stream gas pipeline bypassing Ukraine. TurkStream gas pipeline will switch the volumes of Russian gas transported by the southern section of the Ukrainian gas transmission system (GTS) to the maritime route.
In Ukraine, it is expected that the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will lead to a complete stop of the Russian gas transit through the territory of Ukraine.