Russia curbs gas supplies to the European countries through its main pipeline because of maintenance work. This is said to be a calculative move because a deal was agreed upon last week when the first ships from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports were set to export grains.
The Russian Energy giant Gazprom has claimed that the daily gas production would add to 20% which is half the level of the current supply. The gas supply would be curtailed from Nord Stream 1 pipeline. The German government thinks that there was no technical reason to restrict the supply of gas. The current situation is valid in making it tougher for the European countries to refill their gas stores before winter.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline provides gas from Russia to Germany. This pipeline was working below its original capacity for a few weeks. This pipeline was also completely shut down for 10 days this month earlier due to a maintenance break. Last year, Russia has supplied the European countries with 40% of its gas. On the other hand, the European countries accused Russia of using their energy as a weapon.
The European Commission has asked the countries to limit the use of gas to 15%. This should continue for the next seven months as Russia warned that it would cease the supply of gas. The President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen that this is a likely scenario from the prospect of Russia cutting off all its supplies. The Kremlin points at the western sanctions for the recent restrictions on gas supply to the European Union. The German government thinks that Russia will cut all its supplies before winter. This would lead Germany to soar at high prices to meet up for its necessity.
Energy Ministers would gather in Brussels on Tuesday to sign off the plans. There had been a rise in the gas prices since Ukraine and Russia’s bitter trial with each other. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is up for an overt gas war against the European countries. The gas would be restricted from Wednesday at 4:00 GMT. Gazprom has curbed its supplies to Denmark, Bulgaria, Finland, The Netherlands, and, Poland. This is because they refused to act under the Kremlin order which suggests paying their bills in roubles instead of euros or dollars.
