Putin threatens gas choke: Where is the Nord Stream turbine?

The maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is nearing completion.

Putin threatens gas choke: Where is the Nord Stream turbine?

The maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is nearing completion. Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that gas will then flow to Germany again - albeit in reduced quantities. The Kremlin justifies this with a missing turbine that was serviced in Canada.

In June, Russian energy giant Gazprom severely curtailed gas supplies through the Baltic Sea pipeline, which has been undergoing maintenance for a few days. Reason for the delivery cut: A turbine from Siemens Energy that was serviced in Canada is missing. The turbine should now be on its way to Russia. But where is the turbine exactly?

The turbine's destination is the compressor station in Portovaya, Russia. According to Gazprom, it is essential for the operation of Nord Stream 1. The location is northwest of St. Petersburg and about 20 kilometers from the Finnish border.

The turbine is to be delivered to Russia via a stopover in Germany. Because the sanctions imposed by the Canadian government prohibit the device from being transported directly from Canada to Russia. The federal government argues that the delivery of the turbine from Germany does not violate EU sanctions because they do not target gas transit.

The Federal Ministry of Economics does not provide any information as to where the turbine is located, justifying this with safety issues and referring to statements by the manufacturer Siemens Energy that everything is being done to ensure that the turbine can be transported and used as quickly as possible. When asked by ntv.de, the company did not want to comment on the whereabouts of the turbine. Gazprom, the owner of the turbine, could not be reached. According to the Russian government, neither the machine nor the associated documents have arrived.

According to the Russian business newspaper Kommersant, the turbine arrived in Germany by plane last Sunday. Then it was to be transported by ship across the Baltic Sea to Finland. Overland we continue past Helsinki to the Russian border. According to Kommersant, the turbine will arrive in Russia around next Sunday, depending on the duration of customs clearance. The installation usually takes three or four days, it said. The turbine can then start operating.

No gas is currently flowing through the pipeline due to maintenance work - it should be completed tomorrow, Thursday. Should Gazprom then start pumping gas to Germany again, the amount should at most reach the level before the maintenance work. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened that if Gazprom does not get the turbine repaired in Canada back in time, throughput capacity will decrease even further.