Nord Stream 1, the natural gas pipeline that runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, has resumed pumping gas to Germany after 10 days of routine annual maintenance.
Lasting from July 11 to July 21, the maintenance had set a worrying picture in Germany in light of fears that Russia may stop pumping gas even after the completion of maintenance; a concern that stemmed from a severe inflation and energy crisis in Europe.
As per a Nord Stream spokesperson, it would take “some time” for the pumping rate to revert to normal levels. Albeit, the quantities currently being pumped – 67mn cubic meters per day – is equivalent to output prior to maintenance.
The Federal Network Agency in Germany has also reported that gas will continue to flow through Nord Stream 1 and that it will pick up pace in the coming weeks to make up for the 40 per cent capacity that the line is currently operating in.
Kaus Muller, the head of the Agency, stated in a Tweet that the quantity that arrived today [July 21] was 800GWh. This is higher than the 700GWh that was being pumped prior to the closure for maintenance.
Klaus added that the expected new amount is still less than half the maximum amount that can be pumped through the line.
Russian energy giant, Gazprom, recently reduced the amount of gas coming to Germany to 40 per cent of the line’s maximum transmission capacity, claiming that it had not received a gas turbine that was being repaired in Canada.
*Photo for illustrative purposes only. Picture courtesy: Shutterstock
