The Nord Stream gas pipeline has resumed the transportation of gas from Russia to Germany after scheduled preventive maintenance.
According to the gas transmission operators OPAL Gastransport and NEL Gastransport, the operation of the gas pipeline resumed from 7:00 am Moscow time – exactly in accordance with the scheduled maintenance schedule.
The highway was scheduled to be stopped on July 11, which, however, caused concern among European officials and the press. There were speculations that the gas pipeline would not resume operation after a shutdown or would work with a different capacity. In addition, during the maintenance of the pipeline, an accident occurred at a mining field in Norway, which further increased the gas shortage in Europe.
Nord Stream is now capable of operating at 40% capacity (about 67 million cubic meters per day). This is due to the fact that one of the pipeline’s turbines did not return from a major overhaul at a plant in Montreal due to Canadian sanctions. In addition, at the Portovaya compressor station, the time between overhauls before overhaul and other engines has ended. Only two engines are currently operating at the facility. Soon one more gas pumping unit should be stopped due to the running time between overhauls.
The Nord Stream gas pipeline began operation in 2011. In 2021, the highway transported 59.2 billion cubic meters. m of natural gas. The project participants are Gazprom, Wintershall Dea, Gasunie, E.ON and Engie.
Ukrainian transit
„GTS Operator of Ukraine” accepted from „Gazprom” an application for gas transit on Thursday in the amount of 42.4 million cubic meters. m, according to the Ukrainian company. The figure on Wednesday was 41.8 million cubic meters. m. Capacities are declared only at one of the two entry points to the country’s GTS – the Sudzha gas measuring station. The application was not accepted along the corridor through the GIS „Sohranivka”.
OGTSU has declared force majeure for gas acceptance for transit through the Sokhranovka GIS station, as it allegedly cannot exercise operational and technological control over the Novopskov compressor station. Kyiv proposed to transfer transit volumes from Sokhranovka to Sudzha GIS, but Gazprom is sure that this is technologically impossible, based on the Russian flow scheme. Also, the distribution of volumes is specified in the cooperation agreement of December 2019.
The Russian concern believes that there are no grounds for force majeure, just as there are no obstacles to continuing work in the previous mode.