Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Gas flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline resumed as planned on Thursday morning, according to the operator.
Klaus MĂĽller, head of the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) regulator, pointed out that flow was at roughly 30% of capacity, comparable to levels before the 10-day closure for annual maintenance, DW reports.
German gas storage was approximately 65% full on Wednesday, with the country accusing Russia of abusing its position as supplier and using natural gas deliveries as a weapon.
“Moscow is not shying away from using grain and energy deliveries as a weapon,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pointed out earlier this week and added “we have to be resolute in protecting ourselves.”
Russia previously blamed EU sanctions for supply problems, noting that Canada initially halted return of a gas turbine that was sent there for repairs, which German and EU officials described as an excuse for cutting gas supplies.
German pressure worked
Canada later gave in to German pressure and returned the turbine serviced there by German Siemens industry group.
Fearing possible gas shortages, the European Commission recently called on EU member states to cut their gas consumption by 15% and expand its authority.
“Russia is using energy as a weapon and therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial major cut off of Russian gas or total cut off… Europe needs to be ready,” EC head Ursula von der Leyen stated earlier this week.
She predicted that Russia will stop gas deliveries altogether and stressed the importance of preparing for that scenario.
Russia noted this week that another turbine was due for repairs this month as part of regular maintenance, warning that gas flow through Nord Stream 1 could drop to 20% of capacity.
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, pointed out on Wednesday in an interview with Russian news agency RIA that Moscow expanded its plans for Ukraine.
He added that Russia will expand its geographical tasks further if Western countries continue to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons and stressed that peace talks currently make no sense.However, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov refuted Lavrov later on Wednesday, stressing that Russia is open to negotiations with Ukraine.
