• Russia’s major pipeline into the region, which feeds gas to Europe, will be shut off for three days.
• Nord Stream 1 pipeline crosses the Baltic Sea to reach Germany.
• Shutdown comes after Uniper was forced to receive a 15 billion euro ($15.1 billion) bailout from Germany.

The unscheduled repair order on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which crosses the Baltic Sea to reach Germany, intensifies the energy impasse between Moscow and Brussels, which has already increased the prospect of rationing and recession while driving up inflation in the area.

Russia’s major pipeline into the region, which feeds gas to Europe, will be shut off for three days at the end of the month, the state energy company Gazprom announced on Friday, adding to the pressure on the area as it tries to refuel in preparation for winter.

The unscheduled repair order on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which crosses the Baltic Sea to reach Germany, intensifies the energy impasse between Moscow and Brussels, which has already increased the prospect of rationing and recession while driving up inflation in the area.

Gazprom claimed the three-day closure was necessary for maintenance on the pipeline’s sole remaining gas compressor; nonetheless, the decision will cause more hardship, especially for Germany, whose industry is heavily reliant on supplies from Moscow.

The most prominent corporate victim of Europe’s energy crisis thus far and the latest shutdown, Uniper, was forced to receive a 15 billion euro ($15.1 billion) bailout from Germany after Russia drastically reduced flows, forcing it to purchase gas from other sources at much higher prices.

The shutdown came after a 10-day annual maintenance period that was scheduled for July and raised concerns about whether Russia would resume supplies, which have been reduced.

The producer price figures on Friday, which in July witnessed their largest rises ever, both year-over-year and month-over-month, as energy costs skyrocketed, showed the impact on the larger German economy.
dependency on Germany

The Nord Stream pipeline has already been operating at only a fifth of its maximum capacity, fueling worries that Russia would totally stop supplies before the start of the winter heating season and make it more challenging to fill storage tanks.

In order to be ready, Germany has taken deliberate measures to fill its storage facilities; as of August 17, levels were 78.19%, somewhat higher than the EU average of 75.89%.

Flows of 33 million cubic meters (mcm) per day, in line with existing volumes, will restart after maintenance is finished and “in the absence of technical problems,” according to Gazprom.

Even yet, this would only account for 20% of Nord Stream’s 167 mcm daily maximum capacity.

According to Gazprom, Siemens will collaborate with them to perform maintenance on the final Trent 60 gas compressor station. Lower flows have previously been attributed by the Russian organization to malfunctioning or delayed equipment. This is a ruse, claims Germany, to harm its economy.

The company in charge of servicing the turbines for Nord Stream 1—Siemens Energy—refused to comment.
Senior members of the ruling parties in Germany earlier rejected the Kremlin’s proposal to ease gas shortages by enabling the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has been suspended, to begin operating.

Kevin Kuehnert, the second-highest ranking member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, advised against asking Russian President Vladimir Putin for anything in the future.

In an interview with the website t-online, he continued, “The dependence on him has to end for once and all.”

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