Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Monday it will cut daily gas deliveries through the Nordstream 1 pipeline to 33 million cubic meters from Wednesday.
This corresponds to 20% of the pipeline’s capacity. Currently, only 40% of gas flows to Germany.
The company said it was shutting down another turbine due to the “technical condition of the engine.”
The total capacity of Nord Stream 1 exports over 160 cubic meters of gas daily. Shutting down the turbines would reduce capacity by 33 million cubic meters. Gazprom said it will cut capacity at its Portovaya compressor station in Russia.
The German economy ministry said it was “in close contact with the Federal Network Agency and the gas crisis team and is monitoring the situation very closely.”
“According to our information, there is no technical reason for the drop in deliveries,” he added.
Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck told Germany’s DPA news agency on Monday that “Russia is breaking contracts and blaming other countries,” while Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing a “double game.” He added that there are.
Moscow claims the reduction in gas flows is due to repairs and technical complications brought on by European sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany says the cuts are a punishment for EU sanctions, not the result of maintenance or technical problems.
Nord Stream 1 begins north of St. Petersburg, Russia and ends at a station near Greifswald on Germany’s northern Baltic coast.
Energy confrontation between Russia and Europe
Gazprom resumed delivery of gas through the pipeline last week after being closed for 10 days of scheduled work.
A new blow to supplies comes as European politicians repeatedly warn that Russia could cut gas flows this winter.
Germany, which relies heavily on Russian gas, has accused the Kremlin of using energy as a “weapon”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters last week: “Moscow does not hesitate to use grain and energy supplies as weapons. We must resolutely defend ourselves.”
On Monday, German Economy Minister Habeck said Putin was “wanting to undermine the great support for Ukraine and drive a wedge in our society.”
“To do this he is stirring up uncertainty and pushing prices up. We are fighting this with united and focused action. added Habek.
On Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU countries that supply gas independently of Russia show solidarity with countries forced to distribute gas this winter. said there was a need.
On Tuesday, EU ministers will discuss a gas saving plan that will ask member states to cut demand by 15%.
“Even member states that buy little Russian gas cannot escape the consequences of a potential disruption to their domestic markets,” von der Leyen told German news agency dpa.
tension on turbine
The latest cut announcement on Monday came after the Russian company questioned the return of another turbine serviced in Canada, saying it was not satisfied with the documents it had received.
“Gazprom has investigated the documents but must admit that they have removed the previously identified risks and do not raise additional questions,” the statement said.
“In addition, there are still outstanding questions from Gazprom regarding EU and UK sanctions, the resolution of which is important for the delivery of engines to Russia and for the urgent overhaul of other gas turbine engines for the Portovaya compressor station. is,” the statement said. .
Turbine maker Siemens dismissed concerns, saying turbines shipped from Canada to Germany could be shipped immediately.
Siemens Energy added that Gazprom had not submitted the required customs documents.
Last week, Putin seemed to predict the latest cuts.”
lo/wmr (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
