Gazprom "has always maintained and will continue to observe all of its commitments," President Putin of Russia pledged from Tehran. However, he did warn that the flows might be reduced as a result of the penalties.
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| [Nord Stream ready to reopen the taps] |
Tomorrow, when the repair work is completed, the Nord Stream pipeline will resume its normal operation of pumping hydrocarbons into Europe. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has said that his country would reopen it, but he has also cautioned that flows may be curtailed or suspended once again if sanctions prohibit further maintenance. However, the governments of Europe are concerned that the leader of the Kremlin will not keep his word. They are aware that an extended blackout could force EU member states to ration energy, which would be detrimental to industry and would put additional strain on economic growth, which is already precarious. Putin nevertheless stated that "Gazprom has always observed and would respect all of his commitments" in the statements that were issued during his visit to Tehran, which is located in Iran.
On July 11, the pipeline, which is responsible for more than a third of Russia's natural gas exports to the European Union, was turned off for 10 days so that it could undergo its yearly maintenance. Due to the delicacy of the situation, Russian sources who talked to Reuters on the condition of anonymity indicated that the pipeline should resume operation in due time, but at a pace that is lower than its capacity, which is around 160 million cubic meters per day. The energy giant Gazprom, which is controlled by the Kremlin, cut gas exports through the route to 40 percent of its capacity one month ago. The reduction was justified by citing delays in the return of a turbine that Siemens Energy was overhauling in Canada but was unable to do so because of sanctions. Gazprom is expected to go back to the levels it was at before July 11th.