An employee examines a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline at the Siemens Energy plant in Mülheim an der Ruhr, western Germany, on August 3. SASCHA SCHUERMANN/AFP/Getty Images
German officials say Russia’s three-day maintenance shutdown of the key Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany is unnecessary and fear the temporary supply freeze could continue.
The shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea gas pipeline, which began at 3 a.m. Wednesday and will last until Saturday morning, makes no technical sense, said Klaus Müller, president of the Federal Network Agency, which oversees Germany’s gas market.
“The renewed need for maintenance stated by the Russian side is technically incomprehensible,” he said, adding that the work was not part of the regular maintenance cycle.
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Missing amounts of gas will not be replaced by diverting flows from other sources, Mr Müller said, adding that Germany is now better prepared for disruptions as its gas storage is 83 per cent full. “Therefore, the Nord Stream 1 supply shutdown announced for three days is tolerable,” he said.
But any possible extension would be a real threat, Mr Muller told The Globe and Mail. “In view of Russia’s actions in recent weeks, it is possible that supplies may not resume after the supply suspension,” he warned.
Gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, the key pipeline between Russia and Germany, were halted for several days in July. At the time, this was due to annual maintenance that Nord Stream AG, as the operating company, had previously announced.
Russian state energy giant Gazprom said in a statement that the three-day shutdown was necessary because the only operating turbine at Russia’s Portovaya compressor station needed to be inspected and repaired.
The Nord Stream 1 compressor station consists of two pipes, each with three large turbines. A total of five of the turbines need to operate for the pipeline to reach 100 percent capacity. One of the turbines normally found at the station recently underwent maintenance at a Siemens Energy facility in Montreal.
Gazprom cited faulty or delayed equipment and missing turbines as the main reasons for the reduction in Nord Stream supplies.
Before Wednesday’s total shutdown, only one turbine was operating at the compressor station, reducing the flow of natural gas to Germany to 20 percent of normal levels. Russia blamed this on the fact that Nord Stream still does not have the turbine that Canada returned from Montreal.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Western sanctions meant Siemens Energy could not carry out regular maintenance on pipeline equipment needed to ensure the smooth transport of gas.
“Our opponents have issued so many sanctions documents that they have created a situation that can be called sanctions confusion,” Mr. Miller was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
A yacht passes a gas flare in Portovaya Bay on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on August 26. Gazprom said the three-day shutdown was necessary because the only functioning turbine at the Portovaya compressor station needed to be inspected and repaired.STRINGER/Reuters
Siemens Energy, which has maintained compressors and turbines at the station in the past, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was not involved in the maintenance of the compressor station but was ready to consult Gazprom if needed. The company said there were no reports of any other turbines needing maintenance other than the one recently shipped from Canada.
Mr Mueller said Russia’s comments on the turbines were a pretext to justify cutting off gas supplies.
Meanwhile, a working spare turbine is available at Portovaya, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch said recently. “However, Gazprom usually uses such a spare part only when the original is on its way back,” he said.
Russia refused to accept the turbine returned to Germany from Montreal, saying it wanted additional documentation showing the equipment was not subject to Western sanctions.
Sabine Sill, a spokeswoman for Siemens Energy, told The Globe in an email that the turbine serviced in Canada is “currently still located at our plant in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The transportation of the turbine has been prepared and can start immediately.” She said the company had all the necessary documents to export from Germany to Russia as of mid-July and had informed Gazprom of this.
“What is missing, however, are the necessary customs documents for import into Russia. This information can only be provided by the customer. This situation remains unchanged,” Ms Sill said.
The serviced turbine is protected by a steel casing as a transport package. Installation in Nord Stream 1 was planned for September.
The Canadian government granted an exception to sanctions it imposed on Gazprom over Russia’s military attack on Ukraine to allow six Nord Stream 1 turbines to undergo maintenance in Montreal.
In the past, Gazprom shipped the turbines to Canada and transported them back afterwards. Sanctions mean the turbine cannot be shipped directly to Russia.
The usual maintenance interval for normal turbine operation is three to five years.
“Maintenance of our turbines is and remains a routine operation,” Ms. Sill told The Globe. “In the last 10 years, there have been no serious complications. The current approval from the Canadian government also allows additional turbines to be serviced and subsequently outsourced by Siemens Energy in Montreal.”
Gazprom has not yet specified a new date for the next shutdown. But according to the company, the last remaining turbine at the Portovaya compressor station needs to be serviced every 1,000 operating hours. This means that the next shutdown will likely take place in mid-October.
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The Canadian Press
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