Germany’s Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur, which is engaged in the development of the German gas transmission network until 2026, has decided not to include in their development plan five expansion projects of the “North Stream-2” due to their “unreliability.”

It was assumed that the operators of the network would build a branch of the gas pipeline to the amount of 4.5 billion euros, but the implementation of five projects was rejected “due to uncertainty” in the construction of the second stage of the Russian gas pipeline.

The agency reports that the projects can still be included in the network development plan after the permissions for the expansion of Nord Stream-2 are received.

The department refused to clarify whether the requirements were caused to abandon projects related to the expansion of the “Nord Stream-2”, with the threat of sanctions from the United States.

After this news, German industrialists opposed the politicization of the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, as explained by the Executive Director of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy, Michael Harms. In his opinion, the project should help to compensate for the declining production rates in Europe and will play an important role in ensuring the energy security of the continent.

The plan for the development of the gas transportation network is made every two years by the operators of the main pipelines. It is calculated 10 years ahead and verified by the Federal Network Agency.

The construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline should begin next year and end at the end of 2019. The pipeline stretches 1220 kilometers from the Russian coast to the coast of Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.