The Russian company Gazprom had announced that it would reduce the utilization of the most important connection for Russian natural gas deliveries to Germany from 40 percent to 20 percent or 33 million cubic meters of gas per day.
The Russian government justified the reduction by saying that Western sanctions caused by the war in Ukraine are causing problems with the repair and maintenance of gas turbines. The German government, among others, considers this to be a pretense and sees political reasons.
Only last week, gas supplies restarted after a ten-day maintenance via Nord Stream 1. Gazprom had already reduced the amount to less than half of the maximum possible amount in June, referring to a turbine that had been sent to Canada for repairs.
Gas prices, which were already high, rose again following Gazprom’s announcement earlier in the week. In the longer term, the throttling could also contribute to a shortage in Germany. The government in Berlin is trying to counteract this with alternative supply routes and savings.
Source: Nachrichten
