Three days without Russian gas.

Europeans are again on alert after an interruption in deliveries via the Nord Stream gas pipeline on Wednesday.

Announced this summer by the Russian giant Gazprom, this interruption would be linked to “necessary” work in a compressor station, located in Russia.

The flow of gas effectively fell to zero in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to data posted online by the European gas transport network Entsog and by the site of the company Nord Stream.

Gazprom had announced for its part that it had “entirely” suspended its gas deliveries to Europe via Nord Stream, a pipeline which directly connects the Siberian gas fields to northern Germany, from where the gas is then exported to other countries. other European countries.

This maintenance work, scheduled until Saturday, must be carried out "every 1,000 hours", had previously assured Gazprom, owner of the gas pipeline.

Russia 'makes a political decision after every so-called 'maintenance''

In the context of the war in Ukraine, energy is at the heart of a showdown between Moscow and the West, who regularly accuse Russia of using gas “as a weapon”.

Gazprom has reduced the quantities delivered by Nord Stream by 80% over the past few months.

For the boss of the German Network Agency, Klaus Müller, the work that is beginning is "technically incomprehensible".

Experience shows that Russia "takes a political decision after every so-called 'maintenance'", he observed.

Asked about the resumption of flows after the three-day break, Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov observed that Western capitals "have imposed sanctions against Russia, which do not allow normal work to be carried out maintenance and repair”.

Jump in electricity prices

Statements that are not very reassuring in view of past events: in July, Gazprom had already carried out ten days of maintenance work on Nord Stream.

The company had reopened the gas tap at the end of this work, but by reducing a little more the quantities delivered which currently stand at 20% of the normal capacity of the gas pipeline.

The fault, according to Moscow, to a missing turbine and which could not be returned to Russia because of the sanctions.

Germany, where the turbine is located, ensures on the contrary that it is Moscow which is blocking the return of this key piece.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Nord Stream transported around a third of the 153 billion m3 of gas purchased annually by the EU.

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