Kremlin: We hope Nord Stream 1 turbine will be installed ‘sooner rather than later’

A gas turbine for Russia’s Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline has not yet arrived after maintenance in Canada, but Moscow hopes it will be installed “sooner rather than later,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

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The European Union has repeatedly accused Russia of resorting to energy blackmail, while the Kremlin says the shortfalls have been caused by maintenance issues and the effect of Western sanctions.

Peskov reiterated said that the sanctions against Russia complicate the work of Nord Stream 1, which is lowering gas supplies to Europe to just 20 percent of its capacity amid maintenance.

Kremlin-owned pipeline gas exporting monopoly Gazprom has said flows would fall to 33 million cubic meters per day from Wednesday - a halving of the current, already reduced level - because it needed to halt the operation of a gas turbine at a compressor station on instructions from an industry watchdog.

Gazprom is expecting a turbine, serviced by Siemens Energy, to arrive from Canada after maintenance.

“Yes, indeed, there are some defects with the turbines. The turbine has not arrived after a major maintenance, it’s on its way. We hope that it will happen... sooner rather than later,” Peskov said.

He added that another turbine has also some defects.

“The situation is critically complicated by the restrictions and sanctions, which had been imposed against our country,” Peskov said, adding that Nord Stream 1 would have worked normally without the sanctions.

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