“Taking into account the state of the engine”: Gazprom will stop the operation of another Nord Stream turbine

This week, Gazprom will stop the operation of another Siemens gas turbine engine at the Portovaya compressor station (CS), the company's press service reported.

“In connection with the end of the time between overhauls before overhaul (in accordance with the instructions of Rostekhnadzor and taking into account the technical condition of the engine), Gazprom stops the operation of another Siemens gas turbine engine at the Portovaya CS,” the statement says.

It is noted that the daily capacity of the station from 07:00 Moscow time on July 27 will be up to 33 million cubic meters.

m with a planned capacity of the line 167 million cubic meters.

m per day.

Located in the Leningrad Region, the Portovaya CS serves as an entry point to the Nord Stream main pipeline.

In normal mode, it operates several gas compressor units with a total capacity of 366 MW based on Siemens turbines.

Against the backdrop of Gazprom's statement, exchange prices for gas in Europe increased by 12% over the day and reached $1,890 per 1,000 cubic meters.

m.

Recall that in mid-June, Gazprom reported a decrease in the daily output of Nord Stream to 67 million cubic meters.

m per day (40% of the planned capacity) after the shutdown of the second gas turbine engine at the station.

This was preceded by a statement about a forced reduction in the volume of gas transportation, since Canada, due to sanctions against Russia, did not return one of the engines after repairs.

In addition, from July 11 to July 21, gas transportation through both Nord Stream lines was suspended for maintenance work.

After the resumption of supplies, the pipeline reached the same 40% of daily capacity.

Commenting on the situation, the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, said that the problems that have arisen around the repair of the turbine are “neither sanctions confusion, nor someone’s absolutely purposeful decision.”

“The engine is at the factory (in Canada. -

).

The engine cannot be taken away from the Siemens factory... But other engines are suitable and have already come to the point when it is necessary to carry out a major overhaul.

And they can no longer be sent to Canada - and they can’t be sent to any other plant either, ”Interfax quotes Miller.

Subsequently, Canada nevertheless sent the turbine to Germany, which should transfer it to the Russian side.

But on Monday, July 25, the official representative of Russia to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, on the air of the Russia 24 channel, said that the engine had not yet been sent to the station.

Vladimir Putin also spoke about the situation.

As the president noted during a conversation with journalists following his visit to Iran, the operation of the unit is impossible without the relevant papers.

"Gazprom" must receive not only the metal, not only the car, but also the documents for it - both legal documents and technical documentation.

We must understand what Gazprom is taking, in what condition the car arrived and what is its legal status: it is under sanctions, not under sanctions, what to do with it, tomorrow, maybe they will take it back, ”Putin said.

The President added that if the repaired turbine is not delivered along with the documents, then only one working gas compressor unit will remain at the Portovaya CS and the supply of raw materials through the Nord Stream will be reduced to 30 million cubic meters.

m per day.

During July, Gazprom reported several times that it had not received the necessary paperwork, despite a request from Siemens.

On July 25, the company confirmed receipt of the documents, noting that the Russian side still had a number of questions.

Gazprom received documents from the Canadian authorities from Siemens.

Gazprom has studied these documents, but I have to admit that they do not remove the previously identified risks and raise additional questions,” the statement says.

As the company explained, the problems associated with Western sanctions remain open, the settlement of which is important for the delivery of the engine to Russia and the urgent overhaul of other gas turbine units for the Portovaya compressor station.

“In these circumstances, Gazprom once again asked Siemens for immediate support in providing the necessary documents and clarifications to resolve the remaining open issues,” the company stressed.