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Scholz in front of the turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline: "It's clear and simple, so to speak"
Photo: Sascha Steinbach / EPA
Chancellor Olaf Scholz blames Russia for delays in returning a turbine for the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline that was serviced in Canada.
The turbine can be transported back at any time, said Scholz during a factory visit to Siemens Energy in Mülheim an der Ruhr, where the turbine is stored.
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"It's clear and simple, so to speak," said the Chancellor.
“The turbine is there, it can be delivered.
Someone just has to say I want it, and then it will be there very quickly.« All the necessary papers are available: »There are no reasons why this delivery cannot take place«.
The Chancellor accuses the owner, the Russian energy giant Gazprom, of not being able to understand all the technical reasons put forward for a reduction in gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 on a factual basis.
The throttling of gas supplies, Scholz suggested, seems to be more politically motivated.
Also in the future you have to reckon with the fact that "there can always be any pretended, put forward reasons that something doesn't work".
Even after the delivery of the turbine, Germany must be prepared for alleged problems.
Is the turbine even necessary for full utilization?
A Siemens spokesman earlier said the turbine that arrived from Canada is just one of a total of six large and two smaller turbines that will be used to power Nord Stream 1.
Only five turbines are needed to achieve 100 percent pipeline utilization.
The maintenance of this specific turbine is actually only planned for September anyway.
Currently, the utilization of the pipeline is 20 percent.
The spokesman said Siemens had no information as to why a higher throughput was not technically possible.
All customs and transport papers for the onward transport of the machine were also available from the company, but some information from the Russian side was missing.
jlk/fek/Reuters
