Russian gas company Gazprom has announced it will halt gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from 31 August to 2 September 2022, quoting maintenance issues for the pipeline’s only remaining compressor. According to Gazprom, at the end of this period, gas deliveries will be restored to their, already reduced flow of 33 mcm/d.
This new, unscheduled cut in supplies is set to exacerbate the ongoing energy standoff between Russia and the European Union. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, gas flows via different pipeline routes have fallen on several occasions.
In July 2022, after 10 days of scheduled maintenance, Gazprom reduced gas supplies over the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 33 mcm/d (12 bcm/year), dropping to 20% of capacity. In June 2022, the company cut gas supplies over Nord Stream 1 from 167 mcm/d (61 bcm/year) to 100 mcm/d (36.5 bcm/year), and later to 67 mcm/d (24.5 bcm/year).
The Nord Stream twin pipeline system, which comprises two 1,224-km offshore pipelines with a combined capacity of 55 bcm/year, runs from Vyborg (Russia) to Lubmin near Greifswald (Germany). The system was built and is operated by Nord Stream, a Swiss company owned by Gazprom (51%), Wintershall Dea (15.5%), E.ON (15.5%), Gasunie (9%) and Engie (9%). The pipeline transported a volume of 59.2 bcm of natural gas to Europe in 2021 (stable compared to 2020).