Russia’s Gazprom raises issues with Western response in pipeline dispute

The Nord Stream turbine repair documents received from Canada do not clear up sanctions-related questions, the Russian energy giant says

Russian energy giant Gazprom has confirmed that it has received documents related to the return of a turbine for the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline, following repairs in Canada, but said there are still more questions than answers.

The documents “do not remove the risks highlighted earlier and raise additional questions”, the company said on Monday via its Telegram channel.

Gazprom explained that issues remain regarding sanctions imposed by the EU and the UK, which need to be resolved to bring the turbine back to Russia and to carry out urgent repairs of other gas turbines at the Portovaya compressor station.

“Gazprom has once again requested Siemens' immediate support in providing the necessary documents and clarifications to resolve the remaining open questions,” the statement concludes.

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The turbine is currently in Germany awaiting shipment to Russia. Gazprom cited its delayed return last month as the reason for slashing gas flow to the EU by 60%.

Russia has said many times that it remains a reliable gas supplier to the EU and has honored all of its contractual obligations. However, technical issues related to sanctions make it impossible to deliver gas at full capacity.

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