Europe this Monday (11) entered a period of great uncertainty over Russian gas imports, which have fallen sharply in recent weeks due to the conflict in Ukraine and may soon be cut completely.
Russia’s Gazprom group began maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Monday, which still carries most of the gas it supplies to Germany and other Western European countries.
“North Stream has been stopped (…), which means that the circulation of gas has stopped,” said the German Ministry of Economy.
The 10-day closure of the two pipelines announced a few months ago should theoretically be a technical formality. But in the context of the war in Ukraine and the energy dispute between Russia and Western countries, no one can predict what will happen.
As a warning, Italian energy companies Eni and Austrian OMV said Gazprom cut gas supplies to Italy and Austria by a third and 70%, respectively, on Monday. The two countries are supplied partly from the TAG pipeline through Ukraine, but also from Nord Stream 1.
“tap off”
“There are several scenarios where we could run into an emergency,” warned Klaus Müller, head of the German Federal Network Agency, in an interview with the ZDF channel.
“Putin will turn off the gas tap for us … but will he turn it on again,” the Bild newspaper reported on Sunday. she asked.
“We are facing an unprecedented situation, anything is possible,” German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at the weekend.
“It is possible for the gas to flow again, even in larger quantities than before. It is possible that no more will come, and as always we must prepare for the worst,” he added.
Citing a technical issue, Russia has in recent weeks cut off 60% of its gas supply via Nord Stream, a decision that has been “politically” condemned by Berlin.
Against this backdrop, Germany struggled to persuade Canada to return a turbine for Nord Stream 1 in the North American country for maintenance. All this despite protests from Ukraine.
Berlin did not want to give an additional argument to stop gas supplies to Moscow. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated the “decision of our Canadian friends”.
The German government argues that, for technical reasons, it would be difficult for Gazprom to shut down all supply via Nord Stream, as Siberian reserve gas is “under pressure” and cannot be stored indefinitely.
“It’s not like a water tap,” Habeck said.
fear of report cards
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Germany has shut down another Russian gas pipeline – Nord Stream 2 – that will come into operation, and is scrambling to reduce Moscow’s reliance on gas.
But dependency is high: 35% of gas imports come from Russia, up from 55% before the war. And more than 50% of home heating needs gas.
The permanent shutdown of Nord Stream 1 will not only affect Europe’s largest economy.
According to the Nord Stream website, the gas arriving in Germany, the town of Lubmin, is then transported to Belgium, Denmark, France, England, the Netherlands and other countries.
Prolonged interruptions to supply will worsen the energy crisis that has already hit Europe, with prices rising and fears of a tough winter.
In Germany, authorities are already examining rationing schemes.
The German chemical industry is particularly vulnerable as it is heavily dependent on gas. The Chemical Industry Association (VCI, German acronym) says it’s ready for “worst case”.
BASF group in Ludwigshafen (southwest) is considering partial shutdown of its employees in case of gas shortage.
“If we don’t get more Russian gas … we have a month or two of reserves right now,” said Klaus Muller.
Germany’s lower house, the Bundestag, approved an energy saving plan on Thursday. Parliament lifted the over 20 degrees Celsius in winter and cut off the hot water in individual bathrooms.
source: Noticias
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