Stop another turbine
On July 25, Gazprom warned on its Telegram channel that gas supplies to Europe would decrease again.
In connection with the expiration of the period between overhauls before the revision (in accordance with the instructions of Rostekhnadzor and taking into account the technical condition of the engine), Gazprom stops the operation of another Siemens gas turbine engine at Portovaya CS,” the message said.
The company noted that from 07:00 Moscow time on July 27, the daily capacity of the Portovaya compressor station will increase to 33 million cubic meters. m per day
According to information from German gas transmission operator Gascade, on Wednesday Nord Stream 1 moved Approximately 20% of Nord Stream’s maximum capacity.
Deliveries through the gas pipeline fell by more than half in one day – from 67 to 31 million cubic meters. m. This figure is slightly less than 20% of the maximum declared power.
Italian Width knowledgeable Gazprom’s website said it will supply the energy concern about 27 million cubic meters of gas, up from “34 million cubic meters in recent days” on Wednesday.
German government spokeswoman Christiane Hofmann said the cabinet had noted the recent supply cuts and was “watching the situation carefully”.
“Supply contracts are not respected at this time. “We don’t see the technical reasons for this as before,” he said.
Consequences of Western sanctions
Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the fall in the level of gas pumped into Europe via Nord Stream should not be associated with an attempt to force EU countries to lift sanctions against Russia.
“This is a completely false connection. <...> Gazprom supplies as much as needed and as much as possible. We now know that the technical possibilities for pumping are shrinking. Why? Why? Because the maintenance process of various units is extremely difficult due to the restrictions and sanctions imposed by Europe,” he said.
In his opinion, the sanctions of Western countries do not make it possible to immediately carry out maintenance with the necessary equipment for pumping, replacing spare parts, major repairs and other maintenance work. However, once these works are completed, Gazprom will be able to supply more gas to Europe.
“Gazprom has been and remains a reliable guarantor of the fulfillment of all its obligations, obligations, but cannot guarantee pumping if it is unable to service imported units due to European sanctions,” he said.
Transaction data on the London ICE stock market show that for the first time since the beginning of March this year, the price of gas in European countries exceeded the threshold of $ 2.5 thousand per 1,000 cubic meters. m.
At the same time, the overall increase in gas prices since Wednesday reached 10%. The situation regarding price regulation directly depends on the announcement of the Russian company Gazprom that it will reduce the passage of energy resources through the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
Turbine stranded in Canada
Gazprom reduced supply for the first time on June 14 via Nord Stream. The company announced on its Telegram channel that it was forced to limit the work at the Portovaya compressor station, which pumps gas into the Nord Stream, “due to the untimely return of gas pumping units from repair by the German company Siemens.” The gas supply was later reduced to 100 million cubic meters. m per day
The next day, Gazprom announced that it had “stopped operation of another Siemens gas turbine engine at Portovaya CS”. After that, the daily capacity of the compressor station decreased to 67 million cubic meters. m per day
Due to sanctions, one of the Siemens turbines was stranded in Canada for repairs. As a result, Ottawa nevertheless agreed to return the turbine to Gazprom, but in transit through Germany. The car was delivered to Germany, but it is not yet clear when it will be with the Russian company.
Gazprom has repeatedly asked Siemens for documents authorizing the extraction of a gas turbine engine for the Portovaya compression station. On July 25, the answer finally came.
Gazprom received and studied these documents, but I must admit that they did not eliminate the risks identified earlier and did not raise additional questions, ”says the Telegram channel of the Russian company.
“They still have open questions about EU and UK sanctions, the solution of which is important for the delivery of the engine to Russia and the urgent overhaul of other gas turbine engines for the Portovaya CS.
“Under these circumstances, Gazprom once again requested urgent assistance from Siemens in providing the necessary documents and clarifications to resolve remaining open issues,” Gazprom said.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.