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Russian energy giant Gazprom is planning to further cut gas supplies to Germany and Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline by 20%.
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Effective from 27 July 2022, the supply will be reduced by almost half from the current 67 million cubic metres per day to 33 million cubic metres per day.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline is said to be the single biggest Russian gas link to Europe and resumed operations last week following a ten-day maintenance period. It has been operating at pre-maintenance levels of 40%.
Gazprom’s latest decision comes as it plans to halt the operation of one of the last two operating turbines at the Portovaya compressor station as a result of the “technical condition of the engine”.
The Russian gas export monopoly said on Twitter that it received documents from Siemens Energy and Canada, but that ‘they do not eliminate the previously identified risks and gave raise to additional questions’.
The firm said questions remain over sanctions by the EU and UK, stating ‘the resolution of which is important for the delivery of the engine to Russia and the urgent overhaul of other gas turbine engines for the Portovaya compressor station’.
In response to Russia’s decision, Germany said it saw ‘no technical reason’ for the gas supply capacity reduction by the Russian firm, reported Reuters.
Amid concerns about Russia’s reduced gas deliveries, the European Commission recently urged its member states to reduce gas usage by 15% from August 2022 to March 2023, compared to usage in the same period of 2016-2021, to avoid winter supply shortages.
