The Russian gas consortium Gazprom said on Tuesday that right now it cannot guarantee the safe operation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which transports Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, due to doubts about the turbine retained in Canada, whose return it does not have. constancy.
“Gazprom does not have any document that allows the Siemens company to take out of Canada the turbine under repair for the Portovaya compressor station,” the Russian gas giant said in a statement.
“Under these circumstances, it is impossible to draw an objective conclusion about the future development of the situation to ensure the safe operation of the Portovaya compressor station, essential for the operation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline,” it added.
These statements come after the Ottawa government agreed to allow the Nord Stream turbine to leave Germany so as not to have to deliver it directly to Russia.
Siemens sent the turbine in question to its plant in Canada, the only one where it can do these technical checks, but then it could not be removed and returned to Russia because Canadian sanctions against Russia for its military campaign in Ukraine prevented it.
According to German media, after the decision of the Canadian government to return the turbine, it would be transported by plane to Germany and then transferred “as soon as possible” to the compression station near St. Petersburg.
The gas pipeline, which runs through the Baltic Sea to Germany, is the main source of Russian gas supply for Berlin at the moment, but the flow has been reduced by 60% throughout the month of June due to technical problems related to retention of the turbines by Canada, according to Moscow.
Berlin has not believed the argument of Russia, which also stopped the gas pipeline for planned maintenance until the next day 21.
Germany argues that now, with the return of the turbine, Gazprom no longer has an excuse not to resume the flow of gas. EFE
mos/fpa
