Solz: Nord Stream 1 turbine is ready and can be delivered to Gazprom – Russia’s problem is ‘political’

“The turbine is working and can be moved and used at any time,” Chancellor Olaf Solz said, referring to the technical problem that Gazprom is citing to limit the supply of natural gas to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Mr. Solz called political fueling the excuses of the Russian side.

“It’s quite clear and simple. The turbine is here and it can be delivered. All you have to do is say that someone wants it and then it will be delivered very quickly. All the necessary documents are ready and there is no reason why this delivery should not take place,” he said. Mr. Scholz, while actually standing in front of the turbine in question, at the Siemens Energy plant in Mülheim, Ruhr. “The limitation of the supply of natural gas seems to have more political motives”, noted the chancellor and added that in the future one should also consider that “there can always be any alleged problems so that something does not work”. Even after the turbine is delivered, Germany must be prepared for possible such “problems,” he said.

A spokesman for Siemens Energy also said that the turbine, which was repaired at the company’s facilities in Canada and sent to Germany for delivery to Gazprom, is only one of a total of six larger and two smaller turbines used in Nord Stream 1, but for only five turbines are enough to operate the pipeline at 100% of its potential. At the moment, however, the pipeline is operating at 20% of the total output and, as the Siemens representative explained, there is no information as to why a higher output is not technically possible. According to him, the necessary customs and travel documents for the shipment of the turbine are ready, but some elements are still missing from the Russian side.

Source: AMPE