Russia suspends gas flow to Europe once again

Citing maintenance requirements, Gazprom – the Russian state-owned energy giant – has once again paused gas deliveries on the arterial Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany. The suspension is the latest in a series of halts to gas supplies that have contributed to an ongoing energy crisis in Europe in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Gazprom said that supplies via the pipeline were completely stopped for preventive work at a compressor unit.
Gazprom has repeatedly insisted the stoppages in supply are necessary for routine maintenance but have been exacerbated by equipment delivery complications created by Western sanctions on Russia.
Germany has accused Moscow of using its energy resources as a weapon, with Klaus Mueller, Germany’s Federal Network Agency chief calling the latest cessation“technically incomprehensible”, adding that experience shows that Moscow “makes a political decision after every so-called maintenance”.

The ongoing energy crunch in Europe has seen a 400 percent surge in wholesale gas prices since last August.
The shortages have squeezed consumers and businesses alike, who are reeling from sky-high inflation and the high cost of living. It has forced governments to spend billions to ease the burden.

The situation is expected to worsen as European countries enter the cold winter months, with many homes using natural gas for heating. Some countries, including France, have said fuel rationing is possible.

Gazprom on Tuesday, said it would suspend gas deliveries to its French contractor over a payments dispute. A claim France’s energy minister said, was just an excuse, but said the country had already been anticipating the loss of supply.

The European Union is preparing to take emergency action to reform the electricity market in order to bring rising prices under control, with energy ministers scheduled to hold extraordinary talks next week.

Asked if Gazprom’s supplies would resume after the three-day works were completed on Saturday, Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “there is a guarantee that, apart from technical problems caused by sanctions, nothing interferes with supplies”. He added that, the sanctions imposed on Russia by Western capitals, do not allow for normal maintenance, repairwork.