Moscow, Sept 2 (AFP\/APP): Russia has halted gas deliveries to Germany via a key pipeline for an indefinite period, after saying Friday it had found problems in a key piece of equipment, a development that will worsen Europe’s energy crisis.<\/p>\n
Russian gas giant Gazprom said Friday that the Nord Stream pipeline due to reopen at the weekend would remain shut until a turbine is repaired.
\nIn a statement, Gazprom indicated it had discovered “oil leaks” in a turbine during a planned three-day maintenance operation.<\/p>\n
Gazprom added that “until it is repaired… the transport of gas via Nord Stream is completely suspended”.<\/p>\n
Resumption of deliveries via the pipeline which runs from near St Petersburg to Germany under the Baltic Sea, had been due to resume on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Gazprom said it had discovered the problems while carrying out maintenance with representatives of Siemens, which manufactured the turbine in a compressor station that pushes gas through the pipeline.<\/p>\n
On its Telegram page it published a picture of cables covered in a brown liquid.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, the Kremlin warned the future operation of the Nord Stream pipeline, one of Gazprom’s major supply routes, was at risk due to a lack of spare parts.<\/p>\n
“There are no technical reserves, only one turbine is working,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.<\/p>\n
“So the reliability of the operation, of the whole system, is at risk,” he said, adding that it was “not through the fault” of Russian energy giant Gazprom.<\/p>\n
Following the imposition of economic sanctions over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia has reduced or halted supplies to different European nations, causing energy prices to soar.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin has blamed the reduction of supplies via Nord Stream on European sanctions which it says have blocked the return of a Siemens turbine that had been undergoing repairs in Canada.<\/p>\n
Germany, which is where the turbine is located, now, has said Moscow is blocking the return of the critical piece of equipment.<\/p>\n
Berlin has previously accused Moscow of using energy as a weapon.<\/p>\n
The announcement by Gazprom comes the same day as the G7 nations said they would work to quickly implement a price cap on Russian oil exports, a move which would starve the Kremlin of critical revenue for its war effort.<\/p>\n
Gazprom also announced the suspension of gas supplies to France’s main provider Engie from Thursday after it failed to pay for all deliveries made in July.<\/p>\n
– ‘Much better position’ –<\/p>\n
As winter approaches, European nations have been seeking to completely fill their gas reserves, secure alternative supplies, and put into place plans to reduce consumption.<\/p>\n
A long-term halt to Russian gas supplies would complicate efforts by some nations to avoid shortages and rationing, however.<\/p>\n
Germany said Friday its gas supplies were secure despite the halt to deliveries via Nord Stream.<\/p>\n
“The situation on the gas market is tense, but security of supply is guaranteed,” a spokeswoman for the economy ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The spokeswoman did not comment on the “substance” of Gazprom’s announcement earlier Friday but said Germany had “already seen Russia’s unreliability in the past few weeks”.<\/p>\n
German officials have in recent times struck a more positive tone about the coming winter.<\/p>\n
Before the latest shutdown, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany was now “in a much better position” in terms of energy security, having achieved its gas storage targets far sooner than expected.<\/p>\n
Europe as a whole has also been pushing ahead with filling its gas storage tanks, while fears over throttled supplies have driven companies to slash their energy usage.<\/p>\n
Germany’s industry consumed 21.3 percent less gas in July than the average for the month from 2018 to 2021, said the Federal Network Agency.<\/p>\n
Agency chief Klaus Mueller has said such pre-emptive action “could save Germany from a gas emergency this winter”.<\/p>\n
Europe as a bloc meanwhile has been preparing to take emergency action to reform the electricity market in order to bring galloping prices under control.<\/p>\n
Fear of shortages of natural gas has driven futures contracts for electricity in France and Germany to record levels.<\/p>\n
European consumers are also bracing for huge power bills as utilities pass on their higher energy costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Moscow, Sept 2 (AFP\/APP): Russia has halted gas deliveries to Germany via a key pipeline for an indefinite period, after saying Friday it had found problems in a key piece of equipment, a development that will worsen Europe’s energy crisis. Russian gas giant Gazprom said […]<\/p>\n
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