OREANDA-NEWS The Danish Energy Agency do not tell about specific terms of consideration of the application for an alternative route of the Nord Stream - 2 gas pipeline. This was reported on Wednesday in the Department.

"The application for an alternative route is considered only by our Agency, and not the Ministry of foreign Affairs, as it happens on the first application of Nord Stream 2, as it is a gas pipeline outside the territorial waters of Denmark. This is done in accordance with existing international conventions. But we can not tell about specific dates when the answer will be given," - said the representative of the Agency Katya Sharmann.

"The usual term for consideration of such documents is 12 months from the date of filing, but in this case it is difficult to tell about any specific dates. Everything will depend on the number of questions asked during public discussions and comments received. Some of them come from other countries, such as Poland, and it will take time to translate. It may be necessary to have several rounds of hearings, " she continued.

The Agency has published an environmental impact assessment report for the Danish section of the pipeline, which is based on detailed environmental studies of the pipeline route. The public of the Kingdom, authorities and organizations can give their comments or ask questions about the report until December 12.

In August, Nord Stream 2 applied for a pipeline route to Denmark in the exclusive economic zone North-West of Bornholm - an alternative route that does not pass through the territorial waters of the Kingdom. This does not cancel the application submitted in April 2017. Company “Nord Stream-2” believes that the first document provides for an optimal pipeline route in Danish waters, which remains preferable.

The amendment to the continental shelf act (1 January 2018) gives the Danish Ministry of foreign Affairs the right to recommend that an application for infrastructure, in particular for gas pipelines passing through territorial waters, be considered or not considered by the country's energy Agency. The recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been pending since January 2018. In this regard, company “Nord Stream-2” has decided to explore alternative routes outside Danish territorial waters.

Laying of the gas pipeline began in July. Earlier, Manfred Leitner-Executive member of the Board of Directors of the Austrian oil and gas OMV, which is one of the partners of the project-reported that Nord Stream-2 AG has developed a gas pipeline route bypassing the Kingdom without increasing the cost for the project.