Mr. Putin proposed a plan to transfer gas to Europe to replace Nord Stream 1.

Speaking at an energy conference in Moscow on October 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed using a pipeline to Türkiye to transfer gas that would otherwise have gone through Nord Stream 1. This would give Türkiye "the largest gas transit hub in Europe," he said.

Mr Putin did not name the pipeline, but the only gas pipeline connecting Russia to Türkiye and Europe is TurkStream, which crosses the Black Sea and has a capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters per year. In addition to Türkiye, TurkStream also supplies energy to a few European countries such as Serbia and Hungary, which Russia considers "friendly".

The Russian leader added that Russian gas could also be delivered to Europe via the intact section of Nord Stream 2. Each Nord Stream pipeline consists of two parallel pipes. Two pipes of the Nord Stream 1 system and Pipe A of Nord Stream 2 leaked last month, believed to have been sabotaged.

Mr Putin said the pipelines could be repaired and Russia and the EU should decide their fate, stressing that the security of the pipelines must be guaranteed.

Pipelines transporting Russian gas to Europe. Graphics:Reuters

Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said at the conference that this was the first time he had heard of the Russian President's proposal, so it was still early to make an assessment and further discussion was needed.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak later said that Moscow would consider building an additional route to TurkStream. "This is one of the options that needs to be studied," Novak said.

A German government spokesman immediately responded to Putin's statement, saying that Germany would not receive Russian gas via Nord Stream 2, but could still receive Russian gas via Nord Stream 1.

"No gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline because Russia does not supply it. If the Russian government wants to send gas via Nord Stream 1, there is currently no ban on this," a German government spokesman said.

The logo of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project at the Plant in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2020. Photo:Reuters

Nord Stream 1 is the largest gas pipeline from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea, with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year. Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on September 2 that it had suspended the pipeline due to an oil leak in the main turbine at the Portovaya compressor station near St. Petersburg.

Nord Stream 2, due to be completed by the end of 2021, is roughly parallel to Nord Stream 1 and is designed to transport Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine or Poland, doubling Russia’s gas supplies to Germany to 110 billion cubic meters per year. Berlin indefinitely postponed the issuance of a permit for Nord Stream 2 on February 22, two days before Russia began its military operation in Ukraine.

Leak locations on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Graphics:BBC