German officials say Russia’s three-day maintenance shutdown of the critical Nord Stream natural gas pipeline to Germany is unnecessary and fear the temporary supply freeze could continue. The shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which began at 3 a.m. on Wednesday and will continue until Saturday morning, makes no technical sense, said Klaus Mueller, chairman of the Federal Network Agency, which oversees the natural gas market. gas in Germany. “The renewed need for maintenance claimed by the Russian side is technically incomprehensible,” he said, adding that the work was not part of the regular maintenance cycle. Germany approves rules to turn off heating, turns on this winter in bid to curb natural gas use Germany’s gas storage facilities are filling up faster than planned, the economy minister says Missing gas volumes will not be replaced by shifting flows from other sources, Mr Müller said, adding that Germany is now better prepared for outages as its gas storage facilities are 83% full. “The delivery standstill on Nord Stream 1 announced for three days is therefore bearable,” he said. But any possible extension would be a real threat, Mr. Mueller told The Globe and Mail. “Given Russia’s actions in recent weeks, it is understandable that deliveries will not resume after the delivery is interrupted,” he warned. Natural gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, which is the main pipeline between Russia and Germany, were suspended for several days in July. At the time, it was due to annual maintenance work, which was announced by Nord Stream AG, as the operating company. Russian state energy giant Gazprom said in a statement that the three-day shutdown was necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station in Russia needed to be inspected and repaired. The Nord Stream 1 compressor station consists of two pipes, each with three large turbines. A total of five of the turbines must be running for the pipeline to reach 100 percent. One of the turbines normally installed at the station recently underwent maintenance at a Siemens Energy facility in Montreal. Gazprom cited faulty or delayed equipment and missing turbines as the main reasons for the reduction in deliveries via Nord Stream. Before Wednesday’s total shutdown, only one turbine was operating at the compressor station, which had reduced the flow of natural gas to Germany to 20 percent of normal levels. Russia blamed this on the fact that Nord Stream does not yet have the turbine that Canada returned from Montreal. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Western sanctions meant Siemens Energy could not carry out regular maintenance on pipeline equipment needed to ensure smooth gas transport. “Our adversaries have issued so many sanctions documents that they have created a situation which could be called sanctions confusion,” Mr Miller was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. A yacht passes a gas flare in Portovaya Bay on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the Leningrad region, Russia, on August 26. Gazprom said the three-day shutdown is necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station needs to be checked and repaired.STRINGER/Reuters Siemens Energy, which has carried out maintenance work on compressors and turbines at the station in the past, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was not involved in the maintenance of the compressor station but was ready to advise Gazprom if needed. The company said it had no reports of turbines needing maintenance other than the one recently shipped from Canada. Mr Mueller said Russia’s comments on the turbines were a pretext to justify cutting off gas shipments. Meanwhile, at Portovaya, a working replacement turbine is available, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch said recently. “However, Gazprom usually uses such a spare part only when the original is on its way back,” he said. Russia has refused to accept the turbine returned to Germany from Montreal, saying it wants further documentation showing the equipment is not subject to Western sanctions. Sabine Sill, a spokeswoman for Siemens Energy, told The Globe in an e-mail that the turbine being serviced in Canada “is currently still at our plant in Mulheim an der Ruhr. The transfer of the turbine is ready and could start immediately.” He said the company had all the necessary documents to export from Germany to Russia as of mid-July and had informed Gazprom about it. “What is missing, however, are the required customs documents for import into Russia. This information can only be provided by the customer. This situation remains unchanged,” Ms. Sill said. The service unit is protected by a steel shell as a transport package. Installation on Nord Stream 1 was planned for September. The Canadian government granted an exemption from sanctions imposed on Gazprom over Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine to allow six Nord Stream 1 turbines to undergo maintenance in Montreal. In the past, Gazprom shipped the turbines to Canada by ship and then shipped them. The sanctions meant the turbine could not be sent directly to Russia. The usual maintenance interval for normal operation of turbines is three to five years. “Maintenance of our turbines is and remains a routine operation,” Ms. Seale told The Globe. “There have been no major complications in the last 10 years. The current approval from the Canadian government also allows for the maintenance and subsequent export of additional turbines by Siemens Energy in Montreal.” Gazprom has not yet given a new date for the next shutdown. However, according to the company, the last remaining turbine at the Portovaya compressor station must be serviced every 1,000 working hours. This means the next outage is likely to take place in mid-October. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz trained on hydrogen at a trade show in Stephenville, NL, before signing an agreement to develop a hydrogen trade agreement. They say it’s possible to see the first shipments flowing in as little as three years. The Canadian Press Your time is valuable. 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title: “Germany Calls Russia S Nord Stream Pipeline Maintenance Incomprehensible Fears Shutdown Could Continue Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-24” author: “Trudy Stewart”
German officials say Russia’s three-day maintenance shutdown of the critical Nord Stream natural gas pipeline to Germany is unnecessary and fear the temporary supply freeze could continue. The shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which began at 3 a.m. on Wednesday and will continue until Saturday morning, makes no technical sense, said Klaus Mueller, chairman of the Federal Network Agency, which oversees the natural gas market. gas in Germany. “The renewed need for maintenance claimed by the Russian side is technically incomprehensible,” he said, adding that the work was not part of the regular maintenance cycle. Germany approves rules to turn off heating, turns on this winter in bid to curb natural gas use Germany’s gas storage facilities are filling up faster than planned, the economy minister says Missing gas volumes will not be replaced by shifting flows from other sources, Mr Müller said, adding that Germany is now better prepared for outages as its gas storage facilities are 83% full. “The delivery standstill on Nord Stream 1 announced for three days is therefore bearable,” he said. But any possible extension would be a real threat, Mr. Mueller told The Globe and Mail. “Given Russia’s actions in recent weeks, it is understandable that deliveries will not resume after the delivery is interrupted,” he warned. Natural gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, which is the main pipeline between Russia and Germany, were suspended for several days in July. At the time, it was due to annual maintenance work, which was announced by Nord Stream AG, as the operating company. Russian state energy giant Gazprom said in a statement that the three-day shutdown was necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station in Russia needed to be inspected and repaired. The Nord Stream 1 compressor station consists of two pipes, each with three large turbines. A total of five of the turbines must be running for the pipeline to reach 100 percent. One of the turbines normally installed at the station recently underwent maintenance at a Siemens Energy facility in Montreal. Gazprom cited faulty or delayed equipment and missing turbines as the main reasons for the reduction in deliveries via Nord Stream. Before Wednesday’s total shutdown, only one turbine was operating at the compressor station, which had reduced the flow of natural gas to Germany to 20 percent of normal levels. Russia blamed this on the fact that Nord Stream does not yet have the turbine that Canada returned from Montreal. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Western sanctions meant Siemens Energy could not carry out regular maintenance on pipeline equipment needed to ensure smooth gas transport. “Our adversaries have issued so many sanctions documents that they have created a situation which could be called sanctions confusion,” Mr Miller was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. A yacht passes a gas flare in Portovaya Bay on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the Leningrad region, Russia, on August 26. Gazprom said the three-day shutdown is necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station needs to be checked and repaired.STRINGER/Reuters Siemens Energy, which has carried out maintenance work on compressors and turbines at the station in the past, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was not involved in the maintenance of the compressor station but was ready to advise Gazprom if needed. The company said it had no reports of turbines needing maintenance other than the one recently shipped from Canada. Mr Mueller said Russia’s comments on the turbines were a pretext to justify cutting off gas shipments. Meanwhile, at Portovaya, a working replacement turbine is available, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch said recently. “However, Gazprom usually uses such a spare part only when the original is on its way back,” he said. Russia has refused to accept the turbine returned to Germany from Montreal, saying it wants further documentation showing the equipment is not subject to Western sanctions. Sabine Sill, a spokeswoman for Siemens Energy, told The Globe in an e-mail that the turbine being serviced in Canada “is currently still at our plant in Mulheim an der Ruhr. The transfer of the turbine is ready and could start immediately.” He said the company had all the necessary documents to export from Germany to Russia as of mid-July and had informed Gazprom about it. “What is missing, however, are the required customs documents for import into Russia. This information can only be provided by the customer. This situation remains unchanged,” Ms. Sill said. The service unit is protected by a steel shell as a transport package. Installation on Nord Stream 1 was planned for September. The Canadian government granted an exemption from sanctions imposed on Gazprom over Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine to allow six Nord Stream 1 turbines to undergo maintenance in Montreal. In the past, Gazprom shipped the turbines to Canada by ship and then shipped them. The sanctions meant the turbine could not be sent directly to Russia. The usual maintenance interval for normal operation of turbines is three to five years. “Maintenance of our turbines is and remains a routine operation,” Ms. Seale told The Globe. “There have been no major complications in the last 10 years. The current approval from the Canadian government also allows for the maintenance and subsequent export of additional turbines by Siemens Energy in Montreal.” Gazprom has not yet given a new date for the next shutdown. However, according to the company, the last remaining turbine at the Portovaya compressor station must be serviced every 1,000 working hours. This means the next outage is likely to take place in mid-October. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz trained on hydrogen at a trade show in Stephenville, NL, before signing an agreement to develop a hydrogen trade agreement. They say it’s possible to see the first shipments flowing in as little as three years. The Canadian Press Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox morning or night. Sign up today.
title: “Germany Calls Russia S Nord Stream Pipeline Maintenance Incomprehensible Fears Shutdown Could Continue Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-31” author: “Denise Dasilva”
German officials say Russia’s three-day maintenance shutdown of the critical Nord Stream natural gas pipeline to Germany is unnecessary and fear the temporary supply freeze could continue. The shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which began at 3 a.m. on Wednesday and will continue until Saturday morning, makes no technical sense, said Klaus Mueller, chairman of the Federal Network Agency, which oversees the natural gas market. gas in Germany. “The renewed need for maintenance claimed by the Russian side is technically incomprehensible,” he said, adding that the work was not part of the regular maintenance cycle. Germany approves rules to turn off heating, turns on this winter in bid to curb natural gas use Germany’s gas storage facilities are filling up faster than planned, the economy minister says Missing gas volumes will not be replaced by shifting flows from other sources, Mr Müller said, adding that Germany is now better prepared for outages as its gas storage facilities are 83% full. “The delivery standstill on Nord Stream 1 announced for three days is therefore bearable,” he said. But any possible extension would be a real threat, Mr. Mueller told The Globe and Mail. “Given Russia’s actions in recent weeks, it is understandable that deliveries will not resume after the delivery is interrupted,” he warned. Natural gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, which is the main pipeline between Russia and Germany, were suspended for several days in July. At the time, it was due to annual maintenance work, which was announced by Nord Stream AG, as the operating company. Russian state energy giant Gazprom said in a statement that the three-day shutdown was necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station in Russia needed to be inspected and repaired. The Nord Stream 1 compressor station consists of two pipes, each with three large turbines. A total of five of the turbines must be running for the pipeline to reach 100 percent. One of the turbines normally installed at the station recently underwent maintenance at a Siemens Energy facility in Montreal. Gazprom cited faulty or delayed equipment and missing turbines as the main reasons for the reduction in deliveries via Nord Stream. Before Wednesday’s total shutdown, only one turbine was operating at the compressor station, which had reduced the flow of natural gas to Germany to 20 percent of normal levels. Russia blamed this on the fact that Nord Stream does not yet have the turbine that Canada returned from Montreal. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Western sanctions meant Siemens Energy could not carry out regular maintenance on pipeline equipment needed to ensure smooth gas transport. “Our adversaries have issued so many sanctions documents that they have created a situation which could be called sanctions confusion,” Mr Miller was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. A yacht passes a gas flare in Portovaya Bay on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the Leningrad region, Russia, on August 26. Gazprom said the three-day shutdown is necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station needs to be checked and repaired.STRINGER/Reuters Siemens Energy, which has carried out maintenance work on compressors and turbines at the station in the past, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was not involved in the maintenance of the compressor station but was ready to advise Gazprom if needed. The company said it had no reports of turbines needing maintenance other than the one recently shipped from Canada. Mr Mueller said Russia’s comments on the turbines were a pretext to justify cutting off gas shipments. Meanwhile, at Portovaya, a working replacement turbine is available, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch said recently. “However, Gazprom usually uses such a spare part only when the original is on its way back,” he said. Russia has refused to accept the turbine returned to Germany from Montreal, saying it wants further documentation showing the equipment is not subject to Western sanctions. Sabine Sill, a spokeswoman for Siemens Energy, told The Globe in an e-mail that the turbine being serviced in Canada “is currently still at our plant in Mulheim an der Ruhr. The transfer of the turbine is ready and could start immediately.” He said the company had all the necessary documents to export from Germany to Russia as of mid-July and had informed Gazprom about it. “What is missing, however, are the required customs documents for import into Russia. This information can only be provided by the customer. This situation remains unchanged,” Ms. Sill said. The service unit is protected by a steel shell as a transport package. Installation on Nord Stream 1 was planned for September. The Canadian government granted an exemption from sanctions imposed on Gazprom over Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine to allow six Nord Stream 1 turbines to undergo maintenance in Montreal. In the past, Gazprom shipped the turbines to Canada by ship and then shipped them. The sanctions meant the turbine could not be sent directly to Russia. The usual maintenance interval for normal operation of turbines is three to five years. “Maintenance of our turbines is and remains a routine operation,” Ms. Seale told The Globe. “There have been no major complications in the last 10 years. The current approval from the Canadian government also allows for the maintenance and subsequent export of additional turbines by Siemens Energy in Montreal.” Gazprom has not yet given a new date for the next shutdown. However, according to the company, the last remaining turbine at the Portovaya compressor station must be serviced every 1,000 working hours. This means the next outage is likely to take place in mid-October. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz trained on hydrogen at a trade show in Stephenville, NL, before signing an agreement to develop a hydrogen trade agreement. They say it’s possible to see the first shipments flowing in as little as three years. The Canadian Press Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox morning or night. Sign up today.
title: “Germany Calls Russia S Nord Stream Pipeline Maintenance Incomprehensible Fears Shutdown Could Continue Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-01” author: “John Jorgenson”
German officials say Russia’s three-day maintenance shutdown of the critical Nord Stream natural gas pipeline to Germany is unnecessary and fear the temporary supply freeze could continue. The shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which began at 3 a.m. on Wednesday and will continue until Saturday morning, makes no technical sense, said Klaus Mueller, chairman of the Federal Network Agency, which oversees the natural gas market. gas in Germany. “The renewed need for maintenance claimed by the Russian side is technically incomprehensible,” he said, adding that the work was not part of the regular maintenance cycle. Germany approves rules to turn off heating, turns on this winter in bid to curb natural gas use Germany’s gas storage facilities are filling up faster than planned, the economy minister says Missing gas volumes will not be replaced by shifting flows from other sources, Mr Müller said, adding that Germany is now better prepared for outages as its gas storage facilities are 83% full. “The delivery standstill on Nord Stream 1 announced for three days is therefore bearable,” he said. But any possible extension would be a real threat, Mr. Mueller told The Globe and Mail. “Given Russia’s actions in recent weeks, it is understandable that deliveries will not resume after the delivery is interrupted,” he warned. Natural gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, which is the main pipeline between Russia and Germany, were suspended for several days in July. At the time, it was due to annual maintenance work, which was announced by Nord Stream AG, as the operating company. Russian state energy giant Gazprom said in a statement that the three-day shutdown was necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station in Russia needed to be inspected and repaired. The Nord Stream 1 compressor station consists of two pipes, each with three large turbines. A total of five of the turbines must be running for the pipeline to reach 100 percent. One of the turbines normally installed at the station recently underwent maintenance at a Siemens Energy facility in Montreal. Gazprom cited faulty or delayed equipment and missing turbines as the main reasons for the reduction in deliveries via Nord Stream. Before Wednesday’s total shutdown, only one turbine was operating at the compressor station, which had reduced the flow of natural gas to Germany to 20 percent of normal levels. Russia blamed this on the fact that Nord Stream does not yet have the turbine that Canada returned from Montreal. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Western sanctions meant Siemens Energy could not carry out regular maintenance on pipeline equipment needed to ensure smooth gas transport. “Our adversaries have issued so many sanctions documents that they have created a situation which could be called sanctions confusion,” Mr Miller was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. A yacht passes a gas flare in Portovaya Bay on the coast of the Gulf of Finland in the Leningrad region, Russia, on August 26. Gazprom said the three-day shutdown is necessary because the only working turbine at the Portovaya compressor station needs to be checked and repaired.STRINGER/Reuters Siemens Energy, which has carried out maintenance work on compressors and turbines at the station in the past, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was not involved in the maintenance of the compressor station but was ready to advise Gazprom if needed. The company said it had no reports of turbines needing maintenance other than the one recently shipped from Canada. Mr Mueller said Russia’s comments on the turbines were a pretext to justify cutting off gas shipments. Meanwhile, at Portovaya, a working replacement turbine is available, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch said recently. “However, Gazprom usually uses such a spare part only when the original is on its way back,” he said. Russia has refused to accept the turbine returned to Germany from Montreal, saying it wants further documentation showing the equipment is not subject to Western sanctions. Sabine Sill, a spokeswoman for Siemens Energy, told The Globe in an e-mail that the turbine being serviced in Canada “is currently still at our plant in Mulheim an der Ruhr. The transfer of the turbine is ready and could start immediately.” He said the company had all the necessary documents to export from Germany to Russia as of mid-July and had informed Gazprom about it. “What is missing, however, are the required customs documents for import into Russia. This information can only be provided by the customer. This situation remains unchanged,” Ms. Sill said. The service unit is protected by a steel shell as a transport package. Installation on Nord Stream 1 was planned for September. The Canadian government granted an exemption from sanctions imposed on Gazprom over Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine to allow six Nord Stream 1 turbines to undergo maintenance in Montreal. In the past, Gazprom shipped the turbines to Canada by ship and then shipped them. The sanctions meant the turbine could not be sent directly to Russia. The usual maintenance interval for normal operation of turbines is three to five years. “Maintenance of our turbines is and remains a routine operation,” Ms. Seale told The Globe. “There have been no major complications in the last 10 years. The current approval from the Canadian government also allows for the maintenance and subsequent export of additional turbines by Siemens Energy in Montreal.” Gazprom has not yet given a new date for the next shutdown. However, according to the company, the last remaining turbine at the Portovaya compressor station must be serviced every 1,000 working hours. This means the next outage is likely to take place in mid-October. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz trained on hydrogen at a trade show in Stephenville, NL, before signing an agreement to develop a hydrogen trade agreement. They say it’s possible to see the first shipments flowing in as little as three years. The Canadian Press Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox morning or night. Sign up today.
