(Moscow) The Russian gas giant Gazprom announced on Saturday that it had officially asked the German group Siemens to hand over a turbine repaired in Canada in order to ensure the operations of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which supplies Europe.
Posted at 7:58
The fate of this turbine, presented by Gazprom as essential to the operation of a Nord Stream gas compressor station, has for several weeks cast doubt on the future of deliveries of Russian blue gold to Europe.
This equipment had been sent by Siemens to Canada for repair. Despite the sanctions aimed at Moscow for its offensive in Ukraine, Ottawa has announced that it would send the turbine back to Germany, Siemens having to hand it over to Gazprom. But the Russian group says it has no guarantee of being able to recover it.
“On July 15, Gazprom formally submitted a request to Siemens for the documents that […] will allow the export to Russia of the gas turbine engine of the Portovaya compressor station, an essential infrastructure of Nord Stream,” the Russian company said in a statement on Saturday.
“Gazprom relies on the Siemens Group to fulfill its obligations for the repair and maintenance of gas turbine engines, on which the reliability of Nord Stream pipeline operations and natural gas deliveries to European consumers depend,” he added.
These statements come as the Nord Stream gas pipeline is currently shut down for maintenance reasons, European countries fearing that Moscow will use a technical reason not to resume deliveries and thus put pressure on them in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. .
Before the shutdown of Nord Stream, Russia had already greatly reduced deliveries in recent weeks, justifying them by the lack of Siemens turbines.
These difficulties around deliveries by Nord Stream come at a time when European countries are trying to fill their gas reserves for the winter.
Germany has described Moscow’s decision to cut deliveries via Nord Stream as “political”.