The Russian company Gazprom has announced the indefinite closure of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that transports gas to Europe, citing a technical failure in the last turbine of the line. The company stated: "We have sent a letter to Siemens for repair of the failure." Bloomberg reported that Russia's decision to halt gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 represents a significant escalation in the energy crisis in Europe.
On Friday, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev stated that Moscow would "stop gas supplies to Europe" if Brussels proceeded with setting a price cap on Russian gas. In response to comments from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about imposing a price cap on what Europe pays for Russian gas, Medvedev wrote on Telegram: "Simply put, there will be no Russian gas in Europe."
Von der Leyen also noted that "gas reserves in the European Union have reached an average of about 80 percent, which was the target planned to be achieved by November." Reaching the gas storage target came two months ahead of schedule amid preparations for a tough winter, despite a recent reduction in Russian supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to only 20 percent of its capacity.
In a new round of escalation between Russia and Western countries, Gazprom stopped gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for three consecutive days for unscheduled maintenance, with supplies expected to resume at the beginning of the fourth day of September. Gazprom also announced it would halt gas supplies to the French utility company Engie starting Thursday due to a payment dispute.
Russia claimed that Western sanctions were the reason behind the gas supply disruption, while European countries once again accused Moscow of using the energy crisis as a weapon in the severe sanctions war between the sides amid the Ukrainian crisis, ruling out any possibility that Moscow would resume gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 to exert further pressure on European nations.
