BRUSSELS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The European Commissionconfirmed on Friday it had lifted limits on Gazprom's use of a key link from its offshore Nord Stream pipeline toGermany, allowing Russia to pump more gas supplies to Europebypassing traditional routes via Ukraine.
The decision allows Gazprom to bid for an additional 7.7 and10.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) more volumes at auction on topof its existing access to half of the Opal pipeline's capacity,a Commission official said.
As Reuters exclusively reported, it requires atleast 10 percent and as much as 20 percent of capacity be madeavailable to other suppliers. If there is no demand, Gazpromwould then also be allowed to bid for those volumes as well.
The Commission's decision modifies a proposal by Germanregulators in May that would have given Gazprom almost fullaccess to the pipeline, with only between 4 and 8 percentreserves for rivals.
"The European Commission has today adopted stricterexemption conditions for the operation of the Opal gaspipeline," it said in a statement.
Under an EU ruling to prevent energy suppliers fromdominating infrastructure, Gazprom has only been allowed to use50 percent of Opal, which provides a land link from Russia'sundersea Nord Stream pipeline to Germany and the Czech Republic.
A condition for Gazprom to have full access to Opal, underthe earlier exemption, was for it to implement a gas releaseprogramme for 3 bcm. (Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel)