Maintenance
Gazprom announced the suspension of gas supply via Nord Stream 1 on its Telegram channel on Wednesday.
“Supply via Nord Stream has been completely stopped and planned preventive work begins on the gas compressor unit today,” the company said in a statement.
Gazprom was informed about the upcoming repair work on August 19.
“On August 31, the only Trent 60 gas compressor unit in operation will be shut down for three days for maintenance and scheduled preventive work. A series of routine maintenance will be carried out jointly with Siemens specialists, in accordance with the existing maintenance contract, ”the Russian company said.
Gazprom also explained that “according to Siemens’ technical documentation, the unit must be serviced every 1000 hours”. “Inspection of the boat for cracks, potholes, deformations, burn spots, cleaning of the boat; removing oil supply systems, air, combustion gases for leaks, opening connections and eliminating the causes of leaks; checking the safety valves and adjusting the airflow control system.
The company added that gas transportation will be suspended for three days from August 31 to September 2. Then gas transport will be restored to the level of 33 million cubic meters, due to the “completion of work and the absence of technical malfunctions of the unit.” m per day
However, Reuters cited a statement by Siemens Energy. reportedHe said that the company “is not currently participating in the repair work carried out by Gazprom at the Portovaya compressor station.”
“However, if necessary, our experts can advise the company,” said Siemens Energy.
declining supply
According to RIA Novosti, gas supply via Nord Stream 1 has already dropped to zero cubic meters per hour, as evidenced by data from gas transmission network operators. For example, deliveries along the Baltic highway stopped as of 04:00 Moscow time, according to the operator of the Opal gas pipeline fueled by Nord Stream 1. And the less powerful gas pipeline Nel stopped getting gas earlier – from 03:00 in the morning.
According to the agency, shutting down the pipeline for three days will deprive Europe of about 100 million cubic meters of Russian gas, which corresponds to two days of filling underground storage facilities in the region.
In Europe, gas prices rose 5.5% to exceed $2,900 per 1,000 cubic meters after news of the suspension of supply through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. m comes from data from the British stock exchange ICE.
Nord Stream 1 has been running with restrictions since mid-June. Due to the Canadian sanctions, the Nord Stream 1 turbine was stuck during repairs. On June 14, Gazprom was forced to limit the work at the Portovaya compressor station, which pumped gas into the Nord Stream, “due to the untimely return of gas pumping units by the German company Siemens from repair”: the gas supply fell to 100 million cubic meters . m per day Already on June 15, the company announced that “another Siemens gas turbine engine stopped working, after which the daily capacity of the compressor station was reduced to 67 million cubic meters. m per day
And since the end of July, the pipeline has produced only 20% of its daily production capacity of about 170 million cubic meters – since then, Nord Stream 1 has been operated by only one turbine. In Russia, it has been repeatedly emphasized that the decrease in supply is caused only by sanctions, causing problems in the maintenance and repair of Siemens gas pumping units.
In the summer, Nord Stream 1 was already closing. On July 11, both lines of the gas pipeline were shut down for 10 days for annual scheduled maintenance, including testing of mechanical components and automation systems. At that time, Russian gas continued to flow to European countries through only one transit line through Ukraine.
Klaus Müller, head of the German Federal Grid Agency, wrote on Twitter that Germany is better prepared for the current interruption in gas supply via the Nord Stream.
“The gas storage facilities are almost 85% full and we can get gas again in the winter, we save gas (it should stay that way!), LNG terminals are being built and thanks to Belgium, Netherlands, Norway (and soon France), gas is flowing”, – said the head of the regulator .