Siemens Energy says it is ready to immediately deliver a repaired turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, but that a lack of necessary customs paperwork from Russia is holding up the process, transmits MIA.
“Siemens Energy already had all the necessary documents for export from Germany to Russia at the beginning of last week and had also informed Gazprom about this,” it said in a statement on Monday. “What is missing, however, are required customs documents for import to Russia.”
The company said this information could only be provided by the customer. The turbine in question is used on the Baltic Sea pipeline that is the main route of natural gas from Russia to Germany. It had undergone repairs in Canada and was then trapped there by Western sanctions against Russia.
After pleas from Berlin, Ottawa granted an exemption earlier this month and the equipment was sent on to Germany and readied for onward transport to Russia. Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom and the Kremlin has said the turbine issue was to blame for the throttling of gas flows to Germany. That explanation is dismissed by top officials in Berlin and Brussels, who say Russia is squeezing supplies as punishment for the sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.
Gazprom said Monday that Nord Stream 1 flows would be reduced further, this time to 20% of maximum capacity, starting on Wednesday. Siemens Energy noted that turbine maintenance is routine and that in the past 10 years there have been “no significant complications.”
The approval granted by the Canadian government also stipulates that further turbines could be serviced by Siemens Energy in Montreal and then exported. “At this point, we therefore see no connection between the turbine and the gas curtailments that have been carried out or announced,” the company said.
