Russia continues to cut off 'Nord Stream 1', gas price soars to 2,200 USD
(Baonghean.vn) - Russia's natural gas supply via Nord Stream 1, the main gas export route from Russia to Europe, will continue to reduce its capacity by another 20%, starting from 7:00 a.m. (Moscow time) on July 27.
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The Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline system. Photo: Tass |
The reason given was that another turbine stopped working. Meanwhile, the time Siemens (German partner) transferred the repaired turbine from Canada has not been clearly announced.
A day earlier, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced that it would be shutting down another gas turbine at the Portovaya station due to the need for overhaul. As a result, from July 27, the amount of gas pumped through Nord Stream 1 will be halved - to 20% of the maximum, equivalent to 33 million cubic meters of gas per day. Thus, only one turbine will remain in operation.
German officials said that they did not accept the technical reasons for cutting off the gas supply through Nord Stream 1. At the same time, Germany still refused to report the condition of the turbine that was sent for repair in Canada. On the other hand, Siemens Energy said that they did not see a connection between the turbine and the reduction in gas supply through Nord Stream 1, and did not have enough customs documents from Gazprom.
Russia's Gazprom Energy Group reduced the capacity of Nord Stream 1 by 40% in mid-June. The company cited technical problems related to the delay in receiving turbines that German partner Siemens Energy brought for maintenance in Canada due to sanctions.
After repeated requests from Germany, Canada decided on July 9 to hand over the turbine. In that context, gas prices in Europe have increased by a third since the beginning of this week, exceeding $2,200 per 1,000 cubic meters. Gasoline prices are not expected to fall sharply in the near future, and may even rise further in September, when Europe must buy liquefied natural gas to fill its winter reserves.
All this once again threatens the plans of all European Union member states to fill up their gas storage facilities. The EU is preparing for its first winter without Russian gas, and has decided to reduce gas consumption by 15% until the end of March 2023. Energy saving measures have been introduced, including asking people to reduce the use of heating or air conditioning in public buildings.
At the same time, the EU still refuses to approve the "Nord Stream 2" project, even though it is ready to go into operation.
