The maintenance is therefore only an excuse for Russia to deliver less gas. “It is a replacement turbine for use in September,” said a spokeswoman for the ministry on Monday in Berlin. It is an excuse from the Russian side that the gas flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline had to be throttled because of the maintenance of this turbine.
The spokeswoman did not comment on the question of where the turbine is now and when it will arrive at the owner Gazprom, because this also touches on security issues.
The German government had lobbied the Canadian government for the delivery of the Siemens turbine serviced in Canada so as not to give Russia an excuse to reduce the agreed gas deliveries. Canada then approved delivery of the turbine to Germany. From there it is taken to the place of action in Russia. This is not subject to any penalties.
The manufacturer Siemens Energy did not want to provide any information on the current situation on Monday. It remains true that “our goal is to transport the turbine to its place of use as quickly as possible,” it said.
Gazprom is currently maintaining the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which is expected to last until July 21. One is prepared for all scenarios, said the spokeswoman for the German Ministry of Economic Affairs in Berlin when asked whether the government expected gas to be pumped west through the pipeline again afterwards. Gazprom had throttled the gas flow to 40 percent of the volume before the maintenance. The German government does not see an alternative delivery through the existing Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has not yet been put into operation, because this pipeline is not legally permitted.
Source: Nachrichten
