Due to maintenance work, Russian energy giant Gazprom says it will once again substantially reduce gas supply to the EU via its main pipeline.
According to Gazprom, shutting down another turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would reduce daily gas production by 20%, halving the current supply.
According to the German government, there is no technical justification to limit gas supplies.
It will almost certainly make it more difficult for EU countries to refill their gas supplies before winter.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which transports gas from Russia to Germany, has been running well below capacity for weeks and was completely shut down earlier this month for a 10-day maintenance break.
Last year, Russia supplied 40% of the EU’s gas, and the EU has accused Russia of using energy as a weapon.
The European Commission has encouraged countries to reduce gas consumption by 15% over the next seven months after Russia warned that supply could be reduced or halted entirely.
In an emergency, the voluntary aim might become required, according to the plans.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has stated that Russia shutting off all supply to the EU is a “probable scenario.”
Energy ministers will meet in Brussels on Tuesday to try to finalize the proposals.
However, several opt-outs are predicted due to opposition from some member nations.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, wholesale gas prices have skyrocketed, putting pressure on household energy costs.
In response to Gazprom’s announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “an open gas war waged by Russia against a united Europe – exactly how it should be perceived.”
Due to the “technical condition” of one of the last two operational turbines, Gazprom said the latest supply cut would begin at 04:00 GMT on Wednesday.
However, a spokeswoman for the German economy ministry told the AFP news agency, “According to the information we have, there is no technical reason for a reduction in deliveries.”
The Kremlin argues that it is a trustworthy energy partner and blames the recent disruption in gas shipments to the EU on Western sanctions.
According to Gazprom, the delayed return of equipment serviced in Canada due to sanctions has led it to limit gas flow through Nord Stream 1 to 40 percent of capacity.
“Our product, our set of regulations. We don’t play by rules that we didn’t make “Alexei Miller, CEO of Gazprom, stated.
The continuous drop in gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 is anticipated to make it more difficult for countries to replace their stocks before the winter when gas use is substantially higher.
Gazprom has cut off all gas supplies to Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Poland because they refused to comply with a Kremlin order to pay their bills in roubles rather than euros or dollars.
