The resumption of gas flow through the Russian-German Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which is currently under maintenance, is pending. The gas will reportedly start flowing again after maintenance, but not completely, according to two insiders. Austrian EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn was skeptical that it would start working again. The EU Commission is preparing for all scenarios and binding savings targets can be set for Member States in the event of an emergency.
Two days before the planned end of the annual Nord Stream 1 maintenance, the Brussels government sees the possibility that gas deliveries through the Baltic Sea pipeline will not resume on Thursday, a spokesman said. On Wednesday, the EU commission will officially publish its plans on how EU countries can reduce gas demand and thus significantly reduce the risk of a gas shortage in the winter.
According to Reuters news agency, a draft gas emergency plan provides, among other things, that companies use financial incentives to reduce gas consumption. In addition, binding savings targets could be issued. Specifically, it should address the case where voluntary measures are no longer sufficient to guarantee supplies to private households and other consumers in need of special protection, such as hospitals, in all EU countries.
“Assuming the worst possible scenario”
The concept initially left open how much EU countries should reduce their gas consumption, but recently figures of five to fifteen percent were discussed. It only describes that the average gas consumption in the years 2016 to 2021 could serve as a base value for a percentage saving. The EU commission declined to comment on the emergency plans. However, the spokesperson pointed out that the “worst possible scenario” was assumed.
At the same time, he made it clear that it was not possible to predict whether gas would flow through the Baltic Sea pipeline again after planned maintenance. In any case, EU Budget Commissioner Hahn is skeptical: The Wall Street Journal quoted him as saying that the European Commission assumes this development: “We assume it will not become operational again.”
Delivery only in reduced quantities
According to two insiders, after the maintenance outage, Russia wants to resume gas supply via the pipeline – albeit on a smaller scale. The Russian gas monopoly Gazprom had already reduced the capacity of supplies via Nord Stream 1 to 40 percent last month and attributed this to the maintenance of a turbine.
“They (Gazprom) will return to pre-July 11 levels,” one of the insiders said. In the past, Nord Stream 1 has directed more than a third of Russian gas exports to the European Union.
Flow already reduced to 40 percent
The European Commission had previously said, looking at the pipeline and the issue of future deliveries, it was preparing for all scenarios, including no deliveries after maintenance. Last month, Russia had already cut the flow rate to 40 percent of the pipeline’s total capacity, citing the delay in returning equipment serviced in Canada. Chancellor Olaf Scholz had described the technical reasons for the restriction as advanced and accused Russia of using gas supplies as a political weapon.
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline transported 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany. The decline in supplies from Russia also caused problems for the largest German gas importer, Uniper.
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.
