Energy crisis: Russia has said it cannot guarantee the operation of the gas pipeline that supplies Europe

The Russian gas giant Gazprom said Wednesday could not guarantee the proper functioning of the Nord Stream pipelinewho supplies Europe, explaining that he does not know if he will be able to pick up a German turbine that is repaired in Canada.

Operation of the pipeline has been interrupted for ten days by some maintenance operations. European countries fear that Russia will permanently stop its gas deliveries, citing technical reasons, a exert pressure on them in a context of conflict in Ukraine.

Even before Nord Stream stopped working, Russia its supply had been severely curtailed in recent weeks, assuring that it was due to the lack of Siemens turbines, which, according to Moscow, was necessary for the operation of the gas pipeline’s compression stations.

Siemens has sent the turbine in question to its factory in Canada, the only one where it can do these technical checks, but therefore he could not take it out and return it to Russia because Canadian sanctions against Russia for its military campaign in Ukraine prevented it.

A turbine at the center of the energy crisis

“Gazprom does not have any documents allowing Siemens to take the gas turbine engine out of Canada,” which Ottawa, however, says it wants to return to Germany, Gazprom said in a statement.

“Under these conditions, it is not possible to draw objective conclusions on the development of the situation in terms of safety and safe operation” of the pipeline, the group added.

However, Canada announced it on Saturday it would return the turbines destined for Nord Stream to Germanydespite the sanctions imposed on Moscow and Ukraine’s appeals not to “submit to the Kremlin’s blackmail”.

Ottawa justified its decision by claiming that I don’t want to increase the risk of an energy crisis in Europe, a continent that heavily depends on Russia for gas supplies.

According to German media, following the Canadian government’s decision to return the turbine, it was flown to Germany and then moved “as soon as possible” to the compressor stationnear St. Petersburg.

The pipeline, which crosses the Baltic Sea to Germany, is currently the main source of Russian gas supply for Berlin, but the flow has been reduced by 60% for the entire month of June due to technical problems related to the maintenance of the turbines from Canada, according to Moscow.

Source: AFP and EFE