On the first day of maintenance work on the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1, Russia further fueled tremors over the future of energy supply with severely curtailed gas supplies to Austria. OMV received 70 percent less gas from the Russian state company Gazprom on Monday. Italy also received less natural gas. Since Monday morning, no more gas has flowed to Germany via the more than 1200 kilometer long Nord Stream 1.
This was announced and expected due to the annual maintenance. After the gas tap was turned off on Monday, there is one question in Europe: will it open again?
Italian state energy supplier Eni reported just hours after work began that it expects a third less gas than usual from Russia. OMV received 70 percent less gas than nominated. By mid-June, Gazprom had delivered about half the quantity ordered.
gas flow at zero
Working on the Nord Stream 1 line is routine. Year after year, the operating company provides information about the temporary closure – without the public noticing much. Everything is different this year. There has been no more transmission capacity on the last main route for Russian natural gas to Germany since 6 a.m. Monday. In the course of the morning the actual gas flow also went towards zero. Things will be exciting in ten days, on July 21, when the maintenance work is due to be completed.
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, Russia has gradually turned the throttle to several European countries that support Kiev. Deliveries to Germany have also fallen. By far most of Russian gas recently came through Nord Stream 1, and usage was only about 40 percent of the maximum, according to the Federal Network Agency. In June, Russia’s state-owned company Gazprom drastically cut its delivery volume, citing the lack of a Siemens Energy turbine that had been sent to Canada for repair. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) criticized the reasoning as pretentious.
Ukraine ‘deeply disappointed’
Canada now wants to deliver the turbine – initially to Germany. Ukraine said it was “deeply disappointed” that the Canadian government made an exception to sanctions against Russia. According to Berlin, the supplies are not subject to EU sanctions because they do not target gas supplies.
According to Siemens Energy, the turbine, which has been serviced in Canada, wants to get to its place of use “as soon as possible”. The company did not provide further information on the time horizon for Monday’s delivery. Due to its size, the relevant device can also be transported by plane if necessary.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
