"Gazprom fulfills obligations": Putin hints at renewed gas deliveries - but much less than before

Created: 07/20/2022, 10:05 am

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

The gas receiving station of the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline in Lubmin.

© Jens Büttner/dpa

Due to maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, no gas is currently flowing to Germany.

On Thursday, the line could go back into service - in part.

Lubmin – The routine maintenance of the Baltic Sea gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 has so far apparently gone without major problems.

According to a company spokesman, from Nord Stream AG's point of view, there was nothing standing in the way of gas deliveries until Tuesday evening when the work was scheduled to end on Thursday.

Otherwise the operating company would have to inform the market in a specified way.

There was no corresponding report until Wednesday morning.

Putin on gas supplies: "Gazprom fulfills its obligations"

Contrary to fears that Russia would not be able to turn on the gas tap again, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin indicated deliveries after the maintenance on Wednesday night.

"Gazprom fulfills its obligations, has always fulfilled them and is willing to continue to fulfill all its obligations," Russian news agency Interfax quoted Putin as saying.

At the same time, he warned against a further reduction in the delivery volume.

If Russia does not get back a turbine repaired in Canada, the throughput capacity threatens to fall again significantly at the end of July.

"Then there are only 30 million cubic meters per day." The pipeline can theoretically transport more than 167 million cubic meters per day.

In the end, only 40 percent of the agreed quantity arrived.

That could now be halved again.

Russia: Gas deliveries as a geopolitical leverage

As early as Wednesday it could become apparent whether Gazprom will let gas flow again the following day.

A spokeswoman for the network operator Gascade said that transport customers normally reported planned delivery quantities the day before.

The company operates the two receiving points of Nord Stream 1 in Lubmin in Western Pomerania.

Corresponding registrations - so-called nominations - are a prerequisite for the transport of significant quantities.

However, the registrations could still be changed until shortly before the actual delivery.

Russia has long had a reputation for using its energy supplies as a geopolitical bargaining chip.

In view of this, the EU Commission is also working on an emergency plan on how Europe can prepare for an impending gas shortage in winter.

He is scheduled to be unveiled on Wednesday (July 20).

"We are assuming the worst possible scenario in our winter preparation plans," said a spokesman for the EU Commission on Tuesday.

Among other things, it is expected that the Brussels plan stipulates that public buildings, offices and commercial buildings should be heated to a maximum of 19 degrees from autumn and that there could be mandatory gas saving targets.