After Russian energy company Gazprom justified the halted gas supplies with a technical error, the group has now released further details. Oil leaking from the turbine could ignite. It is a design flaw that can only be remedied by a conversion at Siemens Energy.
Oil is leaking from the Trent 60 turbine at Russia’s Portovaya pumping station in a very hot location, Gazprom wrote Monday. This oil could ignite and subsequently endanger the safety of the entire pumping station. The problem did not arise during maintenance on the same turbine in July, but had already been observed with other turbines of this type.
Siemens Energy has doubts
So it can be concluded that the flaw in the construction has arisen and can only be remedied by a rebuild at Siemens Energy, Gazprom said. However, the German company expressed doubts about this version on Monday. “Such leaks do not normally affect the operation of a turbine and can be plugged on site,” said a spokesperson. In the past, there has never been a downtime because of such oil leaks.
This time, however, Gazprom – as reported – stopped supplying gas to Europe after scheduled turbine maintenance. Continuing the operation would increase the risk of fire and explosion and would violate “the standards of Russian law”. The price of gas then rose sharply.
Government: political reasons
The German government approved Siemens Energy’s version. She also accused Moscow of refusing gas supplies for political reasons. German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is already preparing for the fact that Russia will no longer supply gas to Europe via Nord Stream 1. “There is still a little gas coming through Ukraine’s pipeline, but the reopening of Nord Stream 1 is not one of the scenarios I assume,” he told ZDF’s “heute-journal” on Monday evening.
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.
