Russia’s Gazprom says it won’t reopen Nord Stream gas pipeline to Europe as planned

Russia’s Gazprom says it won’t reopen Nord Stream gas pipeline to Europe as planned
September 3, 2022, 8:41 am

Image by AG/Zuma Wire/Imago Images

Russia's gas pipeline to Germany will not reopen as planned on Saturday (Sep 3), state energy firm Gazprom has said.

The firm said it had found an oil leak in a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, meaning it would be closed indefinitely.

This is not the first time since the invasion that the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has been closed.

In July, Gazprom cut off supplies completely for 10 days, citing "a maintenance break". It restarted again 10 days later, but at a much reduced level.

The pipeline has been shut down for the past three days for what Gazprom described as maintenance work.

The news comes amid growing fears that families in the EU will not be able to afford the cost of heating this winter.

On 2 September, G7 countries agreed to introduce a price cap on purchases of Russian oil in an attempt to limit Russia's ability to fund the war against Ukraine - Photo. Pixabay

Energy prices have soared since Russia invaded Ukraine and scarce supplies could push up the cost even further.

Europe is attempting to wean itself off Russian energy in an effort to reduce Moscow's ability to finance the war, but the transition may not come quickly enough.

Spanish and German leaders discuss alternatives to Russian gas

Moscow denies using energy supplies as an economic weapon in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed following Russia's invasion.

It has blamed the sanctions for holding up routine maintenance of Nord Stream 1, but the EU says this is a pretext.

Gazprom's announcement came shortly after the G7 nations agreed to cap the price of Russian oil in support of Ukraine.

The EU's plan to cut gas use by 15% comes into effect from today

Their introduction of a price cap means countries that sign up to the policy will be permitted to purchase only Russian oil and petroleum products transported via sea that are sold at or below the price cap.

However, Russia says it will not export to countries that participate in the cap.

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