Germany: Russia is not reliable for the energy sector
The German government today accused Moscow of being an “increasing factor of uncertainty” in Europe’s energy market after the restart of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at an “inadequate” and “unreliable” level of deliveries.
“Russia is increasingly proving to be a factor of uncertainty in the energy system,” said Economy and Climate Secretary Robert Hancock.
“There is nothing technically preventing Nord Stream from returning to full operation after maintenance,” he added.
Russia reopened the gas pipeline to Europe today, restarting the Nord Stream pipeline after ten days of high-intensity maintenance.
The first figures released by the German network management company, Gascade, show that production is the same as it was before the maintenance work, around 40% of its capacity.
Very little for Berlin: “These committee inadequacies speak a clear political language, confirming that we cannot trust these traditions,” Hambeck said.
The pipeline has not been operating at full capacity since mid-June, a decision by Russia’s Gazprom, citing the lack of a turbine that was stopped for maintenance in Canada.
For Berlin, this is a “political” decision and a “pretext” to influence the West in the context of the conflict with Ukraine.
After intense diplomatic efforts, the German government also testified from Ottawa that it will allow its turbine export to Russia.
“But we now have the impression that Russia does not want to take it back,” Robert Habeck said today.
The minister estimated that Germany should prepare for an “awesome 2023” due to the upcoming gas shortages.
Berlin plans to adopt an energy-saving plan for businesses, public administration and households, Hambeck added.
If gas supplies remain at current low levels, Germany could face gas shortages from February 2023, according to government-ordered memos.
Source: RES-MPE