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Russia Temporarily Halts Gas Shipments To Germany For Pipeline Work, But Some Fear Longer Suspension

By RFE/RL July 11, 2022

Russia says it will suspend shipments of natural gas to Germany on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for 10 days beginning on July 11 as it conducts annual maintenance work.

But some in Germany have expressed fears that the Kremlin could find, or create, a reason to extend the stoppage as a way of punishing Berlin for its support of Ukraine following Russia's February 24 invasion of its neighbor.

The announcement of the supply suspension came after the Canadian government on July 10 said it would return a repaired Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline turbine to Germany after completing maintenance on the equipment.

The turbine is scheduled to be sent first to Germany, then transferred to Russia's state-owned Gazprom -- operator of the pipeline -- so that Canada will not violate Western sanctions placed on Russia.

Gazprom last month cut the capacity along the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 40 percent of normal levels, pointing to the delayed return of the equipment being serviced by Germany's Siemens Energy in Canada.

Moscow on July 8 said it would increase gas supplies to Europe if the turbine was returned.

The work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was scheduled long in advance, but some people in the West have warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use \energy supplies as a political weapon.

"Putin is going to turn off the gas tap...but will he turn it back on?" the German newspaper Bild wrote on its website.

"We are confronted by an unprecedented situation -- anything is possible," German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck told Deutschlandfunk radio. "It could be that the gas flows again, maybe more than before. It can also be the case that nothing comes.

"We need to honestly prepare for the worst-case scenario and do our best to try to deal with the situation," he said.

In June, Habeck said that "based on the pattern we've seen, it would not be very surprising now if some small, technical detail is found and then they could say, 'Now we can't turn it on any more.'"

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russia is using oil and gas to exert political pressure, saying the shutdown was a regular scheduled event.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline transports 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year of gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea.

Moscow has cut off gas supplies to several European countries that did not comply with its demand for payment in rubles.

German is heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies and has warned that its economy could be pushed into recession if Russian gas flows are halted for an extended period.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, Germany has sought to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, including through the building of liquefied natural-gas ports.

Russia's economy could also feel pain if the pipeline were to be shut off for an extended period with the loss of revenue.

Germany has already halted the Nord Stream 2 gas project as punishment for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Construction on Nord Stream 2, half owned by Gazprom in a consortium with European energy companies, was designed to double shipments of Russian gas to Germany.

With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and The Guardian

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-germany-nord-stream-1- suspend-shipments/31937720.html

Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.