Turbine manufacturer Siemens Energy said in a statement that the oil leaks blamed by Gazprom are not the reason for halting operations.
The Russian energy giant Gazprom announces that the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is completely out of use for the time being. The gas supply was supposed to be interrupted until tonight due to maintenance work.
Now, however, Gazprom announces that a turbine failure has been detected near St. Petersburg during maintenance, and the pipeline cannot be used until it is repaired. The company does not provide any estimate of when the pipeline will be put into use again.
CEO of a German gas transmission network company Klaus Müller previously called the maintenance break incomprehensible and suspected that it was just Russia’s way of delaying energy supplies.
The Russian party has previously said that the gas deliveries would only be 20 percent of the pipeline’s capacity. Russia has strongly reduced gas supplies, which has led to a sharp rise in the price of gas on the European market.
Turbine manufacturer Siemens Energy said in a statement that the oil leaks blamed by Gazprom are not the reason for halting operations.
-Such leaks usually do not affect the operation of the turbine, and they can be sealed on site. This is not the reason for stopping the gas pipeline, Siemens stated in its statement.
“Gazprom’s actions are not surprising”
The White House has also commented on the matter.
“Unfortunately, it will not come as a surprise that Russia is using the closing of the gas pipeline as a weapon against European consumers,” a spokesman for the Security Council told the news agency Reuters.
President of the European Council Charles Michelin According to Russia, the use of gas supplies as a weapon does not change the EU’s determination.
– Unfortunately, Gazprom’s actions are not surprising. The use of gas supplies as a weapon does not change the EU’s determination. We are accelerating our journey to energy self-sufficiency, Michel said Twitter (you will switch to another service)– account on Friday evening.
Spokesperson for the EU Commission by Eric Mamer according to Nord Stream 1 remains closed due to “misleading reasons” presented by Gazprom.