A day after Wladimir Putin‘s spokesman said Russia will not resume gas supplies to Europe until Western sanctions are lifted, a state-owned gas supplier Gazprom OGZPY accused Siemens energy SMEGF for the delays in restarting Nord Stream 1.
What happened: Russia’s natural gas pipeline will not resume transportation until Siemens Energy repairs faulty equipment, Gazprom deputy CEO Vitaly Markelov said Reuters on Tuesday.
“You should ask Siemens. You have to fix the equipment first,” he said.
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This comes after Gazprom announced last week that it had discovered an engine oil leak from the only turbine still working at the Portovaya compressor station for Nord Stream 1 and would stop supply until repairs were made.
Siemens Energy, which carries out repair work on Nord Stream pipelines, had previously said it had not been contracted to carry out the work but was willing to do so. It also added that the sanctions do not prohibit alimony.
On Monday Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the sanctions “imposed against our country by Western countries, including Germany and Britain” were responsible for Russia’s failure to deliver gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline – fueling fears of a winter fuel shortage.
“There are no other reasons that would cause pumping problems,” Peskov said. “It is these sanctions imposed by Western states that have brought the situation to what we are seeing now.”
Continue reading: Nord Stream 1 shut down indefinitely: “Putin wants to hit Europe where it hurts the most”
