Germanys Siemens Lacks Facilities To Fix Nord Stream 1 Issues - Gazprom - UrduPoint

The Siemens Energy company is ready to take part in the Nord Stream 1 repair works as stipulated by the current contract, but the company cannot fix the faulty equipment because it does not have the necessary facilities, Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Saturday.

Gazprom said on Friday it had received a warning from the Russian technical watchdog, Rostekhnadzor, about a malfunction of the only remaining working engine for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, and it was completely shut down until the issues are eliminated. Gazprom said that an oil leak was identified during maintenance work at the Trent 60 gas compressor unit (GPA No. 24) of the Portovaya compressor station, carried out jointly with representatives of Siemens. Oil was found on equipment that is part of the engine. The oil leak detection report was also signed by representatives of Siemens. Gazprom sent a letter to Siemens about the identified malfunctions and the need to eliminate them.

"Siemens is taking part in the repair works in accordance with the current contract, has detected malfunctions, signed an act on the detection of oil leaks, and is ready to eliminate them. But there is no place to repair them," Gazprom said on Telegram.

Following the shutdown of the pipeline, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer called Gazprom an unreliable supplier and accused Russia of cynicism. Moscow, in turn, has repeatedly denied accusations of using gas as a weapon.

The news about the shutdown of gas deliveries via Nord Stream 1 come following the announcement that the EU is working on introducing a price cap on Russian gas.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which is the main gas supply route to Europe, had been operating at 40% of its capacity since mid-June and declined further to 20% in July as Western sanctions impeded the return of the pipeline's turbines after repairs in Canada.