Turbine maker Siemens Energy said on Friday that an oil leak did not technically justify shutting down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, casting doubt on the real motives of Gazprom and the Russian company. Indeed, the Russian giant had announced a little earlier, on Friday, the maintenance of the gas pipeline shutdown, vital for deliveries in Europe, until the repair of a turbine. It was originally scheduled to return to service on Saturday after a maintenance operation.
In a press release, Gazprom said it had discovered “oil leaks” from the turbine during this maintenance operation. “Until the repair … gas transportation via Nord Stream is completely suspended,” the group said.
Supply through Ukraine slightly reinforced
But the reasons given do not technically justify stopping the pipeline, according to Siemens Energy. “As a turbine manufacturer, we can state that such a finding does not constitute a technical reason to stop operations,” the manufacturer said in a statement. The company clarified that, in the past, the appearance of “this type of leak did not (have) led to the cessation of operations.”
Following the announcement of the closure of Nord Stream, Gazprom indicated that it would slightly increase gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine. A total of 42.7 million cubic meters of gas is expected to be delivered to Europe on Saturday via Ukraine, Reuters reported. Throughput at the Sudja entry point on the Russia-Ukraine border was slightly above Friday’s level (41.3 million cubic meters), but not enough to offset expected volumes via Nord Stream 1. .
Source: BFM TV
