PGNiG sues European Commission

WSE-listed gas giant PGNiG’s German unit, Supply&Trading GmbH, filed a lawsuit against the European Commission’s decision to exclude the Opal gas pipeline from the “regime of third party access rules,” PGNiG’s CEO Piotr Woźniak said on Monday. PGNiG also asked for an injunction on the EC's decision. According to the EC decision from October, Russian Gazprom will be able to use 80 percent of Opal pipeline’s throughput (from the current 50 percent) till 2033. Woźniak said the Commission's decision hurt PGNiG's interests and violated EU gas market competition rules, including those on third party access to pipelines. Opal links the Baltic pipeline Nord Stream, connecting Russia and north Germany, with southern parts of Germany.