Following claims that it had discovered problems with the Nord Stream 1 pipeline during maintenance, Russia rescheduled a Saturday deadline for resuming operations via a crucial gas supply channel to Germany, making it much more difficult for Europe to secure fuel for the winter.
Africa Daily News, New York reports that the three-day maintenance break for Nord Stream 1, which flows beneath the Baltic Sea, was intended to end at 00:01 GMT on Saturday.
However, Gazprom (GAZP.MM), the state-controlled company with a stranglehold on pipeline exports of Russian gas, declared on Friday that supplies wouldn’t recommence safely until an oil leak discovered in a crucial turbine had been rectified. It didn’t provide a specific timeline.
Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE), which regularly maintains Nord Stream 1 turbines, asserted that a leak of this nature shouldn’t prevent the pipeline from being used. It further mentioned that Nord Stream might continue to run on other turbines at the Portovaya compressor facility, where the fault was discovered.
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‘Such leaks do not normally affect the operation of a turbine and can be sealed on site. It is a routine procedure within the scope of maintenance work,’ the company explained.
As a result of the West’s sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nord Stream 1’s routine maintenance and operations have been hampered, as said by Moscow. According to Brussels, this is indeed a ruse and Russia is using gas as a tool of economic retaliation.
‘This is part of Russia’s psychological war against us,” Michael Roth, head of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament, tweeted.
Despite not having a present agreement to perform line maintenance, Siemens Energy says it is completely ready for the task.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said earlier that the EU should impose a price cap on Russian pipeline gas to foil what she said were President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to manipulate the market. read more
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, suggested previously that the EU should set a price restriction on Russian pipeline gas to thwart what she claimed were attempts by President Vladimir Putin to manipulate the market.
Previous accusations that Russia was influencing the gas market or using gas as a tool for economic warfare have been refuted.
A spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House said on Friday that the United States and Europe were working together to see that there were adequate energy sources available.
