Apparently, Russia is gradually turning off the gas tap in Germany too: In the future, 60 percent less of the energy source will flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The Russian company cites a technical problem with the pipeline as the reason. A German company is to blame.
The Russian energy group Gazprom is once again reducing the maximum gas delivery volumes through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline to Germany. From Thursday morning only a maximum of 67 million cubic meters will be pumped through the pipeline every day, Gazprom announced. The Russian state company once again justified this step with delays in repair work by Siemens. Therefore, another gas compression plant had to be shut down, it said. Gazprom had already announced on Tuesday that it would reduce the maximum delivery volume to initially up to 100 million cubic meters of gas per day. This corresponds to around 60 percent of the previously planned daily volume of 167 million cubic meters of gas.
A little later, the Federal Network Agency rejected Gazprom's statements that delays in repairs to a gas compressor unit were the reason for the reduced gas delivery volumes. For Germany, Nord Stream 1 is the main supply pipeline with Russian gas. The Yamal-Europe line had previously not been filled. The transit of Russian gas through Ukraine, which is well below plan, has also been reduced. Energy prices had already increased as a result of the previous restrictions, because overall less gas flows from Russia to Europe. The completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has not yet been put into operation.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck classifies the recent throttling of Russian gas supplies as politically motivated. He also had the impression "that what happened yesterday was a political decision, not a technically justifiable decision," said Habeck in Berlin.
Habeck put the step in a row with the previous suspension of gas supplies to Bulgaria, Poland and Denmark and the sanctioning of Gazprom Germania. The Green politician spoke of a piecemeal or step-by-step approach. He explained that maintenance work by Siemens would not be due until the fall. "We (...) have no supply problem in Germany," Habeck assured at the same time. We have to wait and see the effects. So far, the suppliers have always succeeded in “raising gas from other sources”.
