Russia halts Nord Stream 1 gas supply to Europe. Here's why

Russia has temporarily halted gas supply to Europe. The state-owned energy company Gazprom said supplies would be discontinued on the pipeline Nord Stream for three days because of urgent repairs.

Russia had considerably cut back on pipeline-based gas shipments earlier.

Is it a Russian retaliation against western sanctions?

However, the Russian authorities vehemently denied accusations of using gas supplies as a retaliatory measure against sanctions imposed by the Western nations over the invasion of Ukraine.


The gas pipeline started operating in 2011 and has a maximum capacity of supplying 170 million cubic metres of gas daily to Germany from Russia.

Lower gas supplies are hurting Europe

International gas prices increased once more due to speculation that they might do this, fuelling fresh scarcity worries.

Members of European governments worry that Russia may prolong the disruption in gas supplies as a ploy to raise gas prices further. Incidentally, the prices have already increased by 400% in recent times.

The pipeline has recently been working at just 20% capacity due to what Russia says is malfunctioning equipment, having previously been shut down for ten days in July for maintenance.

European countries are staring at a sharp increase in living expenses in the coming winter months, anticipating a further rise in energy costs. As a result, governments, already struggling with financial deficits, will be forced to spend billions on providing energy subsidies to reduce some of the burdens on their people.

Is gas a political weapon?

The French government reacted sharply on Tuesday after Gazprom decided to stop supplies to the French energy firm Engie.

Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the French Minister of Transition for Energy, has charged Russia with using gas as a weapon.



However, a Russian spokesman has denied the charges and argued that the interruptions result from Western sanctions harming Russian infrastructure. Without elaborating, he emphasised that only technical obstacles resulting from Western sanctions are causing disruptions in pipeline gas supplies.

The most recent dispute was over a turbine in Germany refurbished in Canada.

Germany refuted that Russia refused to accept the turbine, claiming it was subject to Western sanctions.

However, unless a quick solution to the crisis is found, European economies will likely slow down and may end up in a severe recession.

FAQs

What are the starting and terminating stations of the Nord 1 stream pipeline?
The pipeline extends from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany.

What is the length of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline?
The length of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is 1,200km. It runs under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast of Germany.