Russia Prepares To Shut Down Nord Stream Pipeline: Could Crash German Economy, Then EU

Germany fears for gas supply as Russia prepares to shut down Nord Stream pipeline

Sheri Walsh

Russia plans to shut down Europe's largest gas pipeline, Nord Stream, for annual maintenance, next week with some in Germany fearing the temporary shut-down could become permanent.

Russian gas company Gazprom, which owns the Nord Stream 1pipeline that runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, announced maintenance is scheduled to run from July 11 to 22 to "test mechanical and automated systems."

But some in the European Union, which now relies on the Russian pipeline for about 40% of its gas, are not convinced the testing will run according to schedule.

We cannot rule out the possibility that gas transport will not be resumed afterwards for political reasons," Klaus Mueller, Head of Germany's energy regulator told CNBC.

If supply "doesn't come back after maintenance because President Putin plays games or wants to hit Europe while it hurts, then the plan to fill up gas storage by the end of summer will probably not work," Henning Gloystein, director of energy, climate and resources at Eurasia Group told CNBC.

Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands are all prepared to use coal-fired plants to make up for any new gas shortages. A number of European countries have also been filling underground storage with natural gas supplies to make sure there is enough fuel for the winter.

Last month, Gazprom announced it was cutting its output to Europe because of a maintenance issue, forcing Germany to warn its citizens to conserve.

"The gas flows from the Nord Stream 1 were throttled yesterday to around 40% of the maximum capacity," Germany's Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection said on its website.

"Germany has Europe's biggest population, it's the biggest economy, it's the biggest gas consumer, it's the biggest single importer of Russian gas, and it has got nine land borders," Gloystein said. "So, whatever happens in Germany spills into the rest of Europe."

BOOM! Nordstream One Gas Pipeline Being Shut Down by Russia in 6 Days

H Turner

 In exactly six (6) days, Germany will be completely cut-off from Russian natural gas.   

The Nordstream One pipeline will cease all natural gas flows into Germany in Six days.

By Presidential Decree signed by Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, Russia will no longer sell any "vital commodities" to "unfriendly nations."

Without natural gas from Russia, the German economy will . . .  stop.

When Germany's economy stops, the economies of other European countries, which also got their natural gas via the Nordstream One pipeline, will also . . .  stop.

About two weeks after the European economy stops, the U.S. economy will be forced to shut down for lack of goods and services.

The West has reached "The End" thanks to its own Sanctions against Russia.

The only thing left for the West to do either lift all Sanctions from Russia and HOPE they respond favorably; or go to war against Russia.

The economies of western nations cannot now be saved from collapse without cheap Russian energy.

Lift the Sanctions or declare war.  There are no other options.  

Oh, and by the way . . . how would the west wage war without cheap energy to power it?

DUUUUHHHHHH.

The Sanctions imposed by the West against Russia have now backfired massively.  They have destroyed the economy of the West.

Russia has won.

The west has lost.

The facts are not in dispute.

Germany faces limited options if Nord Stream flows don’t return

Bloomberg

A key pipeline delivering Russia’s natural gas to Europe may not return to full capacity after planned maintenance this month, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said, echoing the concerns of German officials.

Nord Stream 1 is set to shut for works on July 11-21, tightening a market that’s seen prices soar in recent weeks. With Moscow having already slashed flows through the pipe to just 40 per cent of capacity, any move to withhold supplies for longer would severely hurt Europe’s efforts to refill stockpiles for winter.

“While we initially assumed a full restoration of NS1 flows following its upcoming maintenance event, we no longer see this as the most probable scenario,” Goldman analysts said in a note. The bank raised its gas-price forecasts for Europe into next year, citing increased risks to supply.

Europe is facing the most severe energy crisis in decades, with Russia – the region’s biggest supplier -- curbing shipments amid growing tensions over the war in Ukraine. Benchmark gas prices are trading at the highest level in almost four months, and some major utilities are seeking bailouts while countries race to refill storage sites.  

The International Energy Agency on Tuesday warned that a complete cutoff in flows “cannot be excluded” given Russia’s “unpredictable behavior.”

Russia is set to switch off the gas for work on a key pipeline — and Germany fears the worst

Sam Meredith

• Russia is poised to temporarily shut down the European Union’s single biggest piece of gas import infrastructure, stoking fears of a delayed or only partial return of gas supplies.
• Some fear the Kremlin could use planned maintenance works to turn off the taps for good.
• “If it doesn’t come back after maintenance because President Putin plays games or wants to hit Europe while it hurts, then the plan to fill up gas storage by the end of summer will probably not work,” said Eurasia Group’s Henning Gloystein.

It comes as European governments scramble to fill underground storage with natural gas supplies in an effort to provide households with enough fuel to keep the lights on and homes warm during winter.

The EU, which receives roughly 40% of its gas via Russian pipelines, is trying to rapidly reduce its reliance on Russian hydrocarbons in response to President Vladimir Putin’s months-long onslaught in Ukraine.