Gazprom: Receiving documents from Siemens on Nord Stream 1 turbine has not resolved all issues, are also risks of EU, UK sanctions

MOSCOW. July 25 (Interfax) - Siemens has provided Gazprom with some of the documents on exemptions from the sanctions imposed against the gas turbine engines from the Nord Stream compressor station; however, the presented documents have not completely removed the concerns of the Russian side, Gazprom said in a statement.

"Gazprom has received the documents from the Canadian authorities from Siemens. Gazprom has studied the documents, but is forced to state that they do not remove the previously identified risks and raise additional questions, "Gazprom said in the statement.

"Moreover, there are still open questions on the part of Gazprom regarding the European Union and UK sanctions, whose resolution is important for delivering the turbine engine to Russia, as well as the urgent overhaul of other gas turbine engines for the Portovaya compressor station," Gazprom said.

"In these circumstances, Gazprom has once again requested from Siemens immediate support in providing the necessary documents and clarifications in order to resolve the remaining open issues," according to the statement.

Nord Stream is currently operating at 40% capacity, as one of the pipeline's turbines has not returned from an overhaul at a Montreal plant owing to Canadian sanctions. Moreover, the time between overhauls before major maintenance and repairs of other turbine engines has ended at the Portovaya CS. There are only two turbine engines operating at the station. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that another gas-compressor unit would have to be shut down at the end of July owing to the overhaul interval. This means that only one gas-pumping unit will remain in operation and flow through the pipeline will drop to 20% capacity if the turbine delayed in Canada does not come on line.

Officials in Brussels and Berlin previously reported that the turbine had arrived to Germany from Canada.

The Nord Stream gas pipeline was launched in 2011. In 2021, the pipeline transported 59.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The project participants are Gazprom, Wintershall Dea, Gasunie, E.ON, and Engie.