State energy firm Gazprom has said, Russia’s gas pipeline connecting to Germany will not reopen on Saturday as planned.
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| A Russia State energy company Gazprom worker surveys a natural gas treatment facility at the starting point of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in northwest Russia. Photo: Peter Kovalev/ TASS/ Getty Images via Council Foreign Relations |
According to BBC:
The firm said it had found an oil leak in a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, meaning it would be closed indefinitely.
The pipeline has been shut down for the past three days for what Gazprom described as maintenance work.
The news is coming in the midst of heightening worries that families within the EU will find it difficult to afford the cost of heating this winter.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, energy prices have risen and scarce supplies could bring about push up in cost even further.
Europe is doing everything possible to pull itself off Russia’s energy, so as to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance the war, however, sadly, this move will not come easily and quickly enough.
Moscow has said it is not using energy supplies as economic weapon in revenge for Western sanctions imposed following invasion into Ukraine by Russia.
It has gone ahead to blame the sanctions for delaying routine maintenance of Nord Stream 1, however, the EU says this is a pretext.
