Russian state energy company Gazprom said it would have to further reduce gas flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday as it halted another turbine for repairs.
This happened a few days after Gazprom gas shipments resumed through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, important arteries connects Russia’s huge gas reserves with Europe through Germany. The pipeline has been closed for 10 days for scheduled maintenance, and many fear Russia will not resume deliveries once the work is complete.
“Due to the expiration of the allotted time before the overhaul (as announced by Rostekhnadzor and taking into account the technical condition of the machine involved), Gazprom will decommission one more gas turbine manufactured by Siemens in Portovaya. [compressor station]The company said in a statement on Monday.
“The daily output of Portovaya CS from 7:00 am (Moscow time) July 27 will amount to 33 million cubic meters,” the statement added.
The head of Germany’s gas regulator, Klaus Muller, confirmed the move in a tweet on Monday.
“According to our information, there is no technical reason for the reduction of gas transit via Nord Stream 1,” the German Economy Ministry emphasized in a tweet on Monday.
“If Russia’s gas supply via Nord Stream 1 continues at this low level, the 95% reserve level in November is unlikely to be achieved without additional measures,” the gas regulator’s office said. and German electricity said in a statement on Monday.
The country’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck had earlier urged the Germans to reduce their gas consumption in order to get the most complete gas storage facilities possible for the winter.
Germany’s total gas inventories are currently at 65.9%, according to daily figures provided by the government.
The reduction of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will also affect gas transfers to other European countries such as France, Austria and the Czech Republic.
The German regulator’s office said wholesale prices have increased significantly due to reduced gas supplies and have recently stabilized at higher levels, the German regulatory office said, warning that “businesses and Private consumers must be prepared for significantly high gas prices.”
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline supplies 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year, or nearly 40% of the bloc’s total pipeline imports from Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pesko said on Monday that a repaired gas turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline will be installed after all technical procedures are completed, after which the gas will flow to Europe. will continue “to the extent technologically possible”.
Peskov stressed that the gas supply issues have nothing to do with politics.
“There is no politics here. This is a consequence of the restrictions that the Europeans themselves put in place, and it is the Europeans who have to bear these restrictions,” he said, adding that Russia did not want Europe to give up Russian gas.
Moscow will continue to be a “reliable gas supplier”, he said.
