Brussels: Nord Stream 1 closed under false pretenses
Photo: ANP
The European Commission accuses the Russian state-owned company Gazprom of having stopped gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline under false pretenses. The gas company announced earlier on Friday to keep the main pipeline closed for longer after planned maintenance due to technical problems. Brussels does not believe in that and mentions Gazprom as unreliable.
“Gazprom’s announcement this afternoon that it is shutting down Nord Stream 1 under false pretenses is another confirmation of its unreliability as a supplier,” a European Commission name wrote on Twitter on Friday. “It is also a testament to the cynicism of Russia, which prefers to flare gas rather than come to contracts.”
According to Gazprom, the reason that the pipeline will remain closed for longer is an oil leak at the Portovaya compressor station. The gas flow will continue to wait for the issue to be resolved, the company said. It was expected that gas would return to the pipeline from Saturday morning following the planned three days of maintenance work that was announced.