Will Russia resume normal gas supplies after maintenance of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline? The EU Commission considers all scenarios possible, including a complete gas stop. She wants to publish an emergency plan for this on Wednesday.
According to its own statements, the EU Commission is preparing for all scenarios two days before the scheduled end of the annual Nord Stream 1 maintenance. This also includes the possibility that gas deliveries through the Baltic Sea pipeline would not resume on Thursday, said a spokesman for the Brussels authority.
The "Wall Street Journal" had previously quoted EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn as saying that the EU Commission was assuming this development. "We are working on the assumption that it will not go back into operation," said Hahn, referring to Nord Stream 1 in Singapore.
Asked about these statements, the commission spokesman explained that the agency's gas emergency plan for the winter was based on the possibility that supplies from Russia would stop altogether. "We are basing our winter preparation plans on a worst-case scenario."
On Wednesday, the EU Commission wants to officially publish its plans on how the EU states can reduce gas demand and thus significantly reduce the risk of a gas shortage in winter. According to a first draft of a gas emergency plan available to the Reuters news agency, one of the plans is to provide companies with financial incentives to reduce gas consumption.
