Are We Facing a Crisis? Russia Has Halted Gas Supplies to Europe

Russia halted gas supplies via a major pipeline to Europe on Wednesday, citing a need for maintenance on its only remaining compressor.

The outage on Nord Stream 1 meant no gas would flow to Germany until 3 September, said Gazprom, the Russian state energy company. The Nord Stream 1 operator’s website showed zero flow in the pipeline.

Unlike July’s 10-day maintenance of Nord Stream 1, the upcoming work was announced less than two weeks in advance and is being carried out by Gazprom, not Nord Stream AG, focusing on the last operating turbine at the station.

Moscow, which slashed supply via Nord Stream 1 to 40% of capacity in June and to 20% in July, blames maintenance issues and sanctions that it says prevent the return and installation of equipment.