From Wednesday, only 33 million cubic meters will circulate in the North Stream pipeline, which will operate at only 20 % of its capacities. Vladimir Putin invokes the delay in delivery of a turbine in repair in Canada.
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Use the gas weapon to maintain the war of the nerves. Five days after partially reopened the North Stream tap, which had been cut for ten days for maintenance, Moscow will again almost close it: from Wednesday July 27, only 33 million cubic meters of gas will circulate in this pipeline connecting Russia to Germany via the Baltic, announced on Monday the Russian gas giant Gazprom. This volume represents only 20 % of the capacities of Nord Stream.
This decision is only a half-surpement. A few days ago, Vladimir Putin had warned that, if Russia did not recover a turbine sent to repair in Canada but which has still not been delivered to it because of the sanctions which have been targeting it since the war in Ukraine, the gas pipeline does not would work more than a fifth of its abilities. In mid-June, already, Moscow had invoked the same reason to justify a first tightening of screws: since that date, with the exception of the ten days of total cut-off linked to its maintenance, Nord Stream has not already brought to Germany that 40 % of the gas that was circulating previously in its pipes.
Berlin’s reaction was quick. “According to our information, there is no technical reason to reduce deliveries,” said the German Ministry of the Economy in the hour that followed the Gazprom decision. The Siemens Energy group, responsible for the maintenance of the turbine, also ensured that they see “no link between the turbine and the gas reductions implemented or announced”.
The news caused an immediate increase in the price of the megawatt hour of natural gas. Monday afternoon, it went from 168 to 179 euros on the Dutch market TTF, which serves as a reference in Europe. In July 2021, its course was 40 euros, almost five times less than today.
If it is only a pretext used by Moscow to justify the drop in quantities of gas transported by Nord Stream, the “saga of turbines”, as called it Der Spiegel , it is nonetheless formidably effective in judging by the climate of uncertainty which it maintains in European countries which depend most on the Russian gas.
This is in particular the case of Germany. Even if, since June, the gas imported from Russia only represents 26 % of its all of its gas supplies, against 55 % before the war in Ukraine, the decision of Gazprom is enough to worry across the Rhine. A few days ago, the Federal Networks Agency warned that the objectives set by the new gas storage law, which requires that the country’s reserves are 75 % fulfilled at 1 September and 90 % at 1 er November, would be difficult to reach if Nord Stream only runs 40 % of its capacities. It was before Gazprom announced on Monday that deliveries would still be reduced by half.
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