Days after announcing that it is still unable to resume gas supplies through a key pipeline to Germany, Russian company Gazprom has issued a threatening and questioned video showing Europe frozen. “Winter will be long” was the message that emulated the famous phrase from the Games of Thrones series “winter is coming“.
In the video, an operator of the Russian state energy company close a switch and a clock indicating that the temperature drops sharply and it is followed by images of the cold advancing over Europe.
Russian energy giant Gazprom announced on Friday that it cannot resume natural gas supplies through a key pipeline to Germany for now, just hours before service resumes. Gazprom argues the need for urgent maintenance work.
The Russian state energy company closed the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday for three days of work.
In a social media post on Friday, he said he found “flaws” in a turbine, adding that the pipeline would not work if they were not removed.
This is the latest development in a saga in which Gazprom cited technical problems as a reason for reducing gas flows through Nord Stream 1, explanations German authorities rejected as cover for a political power play after the Russian invasion. of Ukraine.
Gazprom said it had detected oil leaks in four turbines at the Portovaya compressor station at the Russian end of the pipeline, the only one in operation. He said he had received warnings from the Russian industrial safety control body that leaks “do not allow for safe and trouble-free operation of the gas turbine engine.”
“In connection with this, it is necessary to take appropriate measures and suspend the operation of the gas compressor unit in relation to the serious (safety) breaches identified,” the company said.
Gazprom began to discontinue supply via Nord Stream 1 in mid-June, citing delays in the delivery of a turbine that had been shipped to Canada for repair. Canada has since cleared the delivery of the turbine to Germany, which has said there is nothing preventing it from being shipped to Russia unless Russia declares that it wants the part.
In the past few weeks, Nord Stream 1 has only been running at 20% capacity.
Strong questioning of the European Union: “You burn gas”
The European Union (EU) has denounced that Russia, through the Nord Stream pipeline, is “burning gas” because “its deposits are full,” European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said Tuesday.
“We see it Russia and its companies use natural gas as a weapon. They have cut off supplies to Europe but (…) they have no other gas pipelines to other regions of the world and their underground tanks are full, “the European Commissioner told the press during a visit to the Indonesian capital. Jakarta, on the occasion of a G20 meeting on energy.
He added: “Our satellites have experienced gas leaks and the combustion of natural gas, and this is very harmful to the environment because methane is the second worst gas in terms of greenhouse gases.”
Europe could face a severe gas shortage this winter after Russian giant Gazprom announced on Friday the complete suspension of supplies from the vital Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
The Kremlin linked the cessation of deliveries to sanctions imposed by Western countries after the invasion of Ukraine.
On the other hand, and after the EU’s decision to try to almost totally avoid Russian oil, “Russia is looking for new markets and is willing to sell petroleum products at very low prices to those who want to buy them,” he said. the European official.
Source: Clarin
