Russia to Keep Nord Stream Pipeline Shut, Citing Mechanical Problems
Gazprom said Friday it found a technical fault during maintenance of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline.
Photo:
anatoly maltsev/Shutterstock
Kremlin-controlled energy company Gazprom PJSC said it would suspend the key Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline to Germany until further notice, raising the pressure on Europe as governments race to avoid energy shortages this winter.
Gazprom said Friday that it found a technical fault during maintenance of the pipeline, which connects Russia with Germany under the Baltic Sea. The company said the pipeline will remain shut down until the issue is fixed, without giving any timeline.
The Nord Stream pipeline was due to resume work early Saturday after three-day maintenance. Before the maintenance, the pipeline was operating at 20% of its capacity.
Russia first began throttling supplies via Nord Stream in June, invoking technical issues related to Western sanctions. European governments have dismissed those as an excuse for
Vladimir Putin’s
regime to use its gas exports to punish Europe for its support of Ukraine.
A complete shutdown of Nord Stream will compel European governments to accelerate their push to become independent of Russian gas ahead of the higher-demand winter months and could force them to ration energy–a move that would hurt industrial companies and tip the continent’s already fragile economy into a recession.
At the same time, the move deprives Moscow of its most potent economic leverage on the continent and could remove any remaining misgivings in European capitals about raising sanctions on Moscow for fear of retribution.
“Until it is repaired… gas transport via Nord Stream is completely stopped,” Gazprom said Friday.
(More to come)
Write to Georgi Kantchev at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Gazprom said Friday it found a technical fault during maintenance of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline.
Photo:
anatoly maltsev/Shutterstock
Kremlin-controlled energy company Gazprom PJSC said it would suspend the key Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline to Germany until further notice, raising the pressure on Europe as governments race to avoid energy shortages this winter.
Gazprom said Friday that it found a technical fault during maintenance of the pipeline, which connects Russia with Germany under the Baltic Sea. The company said the pipeline will remain shut down until the issue is fixed, without giving any timeline.
The Nord Stream pipeline was due to resume work early Saturday after three-day maintenance. Before the maintenance, the pipeline was operating at 20% of its capacity.
Russia first began throttling supplies via Nord Stream in June, invoking technical issues related to Western sanctions. European governments have dismissed those as an excuse for
Vladimir Putin’s
regime to use its gas exports to punish Europe for its support of Ukraine.
A complete shutdown of Nord Stream will compel European governments to accelerate their push to become independent of Russian gas ahead of the higher-demand winter months and could force them to ration energy–a move that would hurt industrial companies and tip the continent’s already fragile economy into a recession.
At the same time, the move deprives Moscow of its most potent economic leverage on the continent and could remove any remaining misgivings in European capitals about raising sanctions on Moscow for fear of retribution.
“Until it is repaired… gas transport via Nord Stream is completely stopped,” Gazprom said Friday.
(More to come)
Write to Georgi Kantchev at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
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