The Nord Stream gas pipeline connecting Europe and Russia has resumed deliveries. The pipeline is resuming after a complete shutdown due to maintenance earlier this month.
Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Europe to resume
On Thursday, the pipeline operator revealed, that the Nord Stream 1 is a key gas pipeline in the process of resuming deliveries. The resumption of operations will provide relief to European nations scrambling to find alternative sources of fuel.
”We are in the process of resuming gas transportation through the pipeline. It can take some time to reach the nominated transport volume,” stated a spokesperson for the company.
Klaus Müller, the president of Germany’s Federal Network Agency took to Twitter to reveal the pipeline was running at 30 percent capacity and that this amount was guaranteed for two hours.
It is still not clear whether Russia would supply the same amount of gas over the pipeline as it had been delivering before the shutdown.
The European Union has asked member states to cut consumption of natural gas by 15 percent over the coming months after the pipeline was shut down for maintenance.
More on the situation
“Russia is blackmailing us. Russia is using energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any event, whether it’s a partial major cutoff of Russian gas or total cutoff of Russian gas, Europe needs to be ready,” stated Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen is the President of the EU Commission.
While the initial cuts on gas would be voluntary, the EU commission is asking member nations to impose mandatory reductions. The precautionary reductions are in case Russia pulls the plug on Nord Stream 1 suddenly.
Despite going through a heatwave, ministers are aware that they do not have enough stored gas to last through the winter.
Hence, officials are urging people to save energy. nations are scrambling to secure liquified natural gas (LNG) supplies from other nations. They are also firing up coal power stations, despite pledging to phase out fossil fuels.
“The European Union faces the risk of further gas-supply cuts from Russia due to the Kremlin’s weaponization of gas exports. Taking action now can reduce both the risk and the costs for Europe in case of further or full disruption,” stated the European Commission.