MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/: Gas supplies via Nord Stream will be completely stopped from August 31 to September 2 due to the repair of the only gas compressor unit remaining in operation, Gazprom said in a statement.
"On August 31, 2022, the only working Trent 60 gas compressor unit will be shut down for three days for maintenance and scheduled preventive work. A set of routine maintenance in accordance with the current maintenance contract will be carried out jointly with Siemens specialists," the statement said.
Upon completion of work and the absence of technical malfunctions of the unit, gas supplies will be resumed at the volume of 33 million cubic meters per day, Gazprom said.
Following this statement, the price of gas in Europe on the London ICE Exchange surged by more than 5% and for the first time since the beginning of March exceeded $2,700 per 1,000 cubic meters.
The Nord Stream gas pipeline, which supplies gas from Russia to Europe, has been used at about 20% of its maximum capacity since July 27 due to the shutdown of two gas turbines. One of them, built in Canada by Siemens Energy, was sent to Montreal for repairs. Due to Ottawa’s sanctions against Russia, the manufacturer initially refused to return the repaired turbine to Germany, but after numerous requests from Berlin, the company decided to do it. On July 25, Gazprom announced the forced shutdown of another gas turbine engine at the Portovaya compressor station. Consequently, only one turbine remains in working condition now.
