Shortly after the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline went back into operation, the Russian state-owned company Gazprom will again cut deliveries to Germany from Wednesday. In total, only 33 million cubic meters of gas should flow per day.
The Russian gas company Gazprom is reducing deliveries through the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1. As of Wednesday at 6 a.m., 20 percent or 33 million cubic meters of gas would still flow through the most important supply pipeline to Germany every day, the company said. The reason was the repair of another turbine, it said. The federal government reacted with incomprehension to the announced further reduction in delivery quantities. “According to our information, there is no technical reason for a reduction in deliveries,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economics. The current delivery quantities are around 40 percent.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin threatened last week that there could be a further cut in gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 around July 26. He had referred to turbines used by the Russian energy company. According to this, a throttling is possible if a turbine repaired in Canada is not available again in time. Another turbine should therefore be sent around July 26 for repairs.
Gas deliveries via the currently most important connection to Germany for Russian natural gas were only resumed on Thursday after a ten-day routine maintenance. As early as June, Gazprom had reduced deliveries via the pipeline to 40 percent of maximum capacity and referred to the turbine being sent to Canada for repairs. The federal government considers this to be a pretext.
After Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the West imposed sanctions on Russia. Moscow had in turn completely or partially stopped gas supplies to European countries. The delivery volume in the coming months is likely to have a major impact on the German economy, for example, but also on private customers, as it is likely to affect gas prices. It should also be decisive for how far Germany can fill up its gas storage facilities before the cold season and whether there will be a shortage.