- The European Commission is planning for all scenarios involving gas flows to Europe via Russia’s Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
- This includes the possibility that deliveries do not resume on Thursday when maintenance on the pipeline is scheduled to end.
- The Commission will publish plans for how EU countries can reduce gas demand now.
The European Commission is planning for all scenarios involving gas flows to Europe via Russia’s Nord Stream 1 pipeline, including the possibility that deliveries do not resume on Thursday, when maintenance on the pipeline is scheduled to end, according to a spokesperson.
“We are working on every possible scenario, and one of the scenarios that we have to factor in contingency planning is the possibility of flows not restarting,” the spokesperson for the European Union executive told a press briefing on Tuesday.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Commission does not expect Nord Stream 1 to restart after its annual 10-day maintenance period, citing European Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn.
[embedpost slug=”the-european-commission-sees-no-danger-in-the-a350-paint-issue/”]
According to the Journal, Hahn told reporters in Singapore, “We’re working on the assumption that it doesn’t return to operation.”
When asked about those remarks, the spokesperson said the Commission was planning for gas supplies this winter based on the possibility of a complete halt in Russian gas flows.
“We are working on the worst possible scenario. And that scenario, and assumption therefore, is that Gazprom would no longer deliver any gas to Europe… We are basing our winter preparedness plans on the worst possible scenario,” he said.
