“We are in the process of resuming gas transportation,” said a Nord Stream spokeswoman who answered the company’s media hotline but declined to be named, citing protocol.
That eludes what officials described — at least for now “Dream Scene” For Europe’s largest economy, it has an impact across the continent and around the world.
But while the restart is bringing some relief, European countries are getting worse. As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his offensive against Ukraine, fears of using gas against Western countries that support Kiev are growing.
Despite the rush to diversify, Germany depends on Russia for a third of its gas supplies, and France for a fifth.
Russian state energy company Gazprom has significantly cut supplies to EU countries in recent months, notably cutting the amount of gas flowing through Nord Stream by 40 percent in June. It was not clear whether further reductions were made on Thursday.
“Our dispatch is 40 percent waiting, the level it was before the maintenance,” Cascade spokeswoman Uda Gull said. However, Klaus Muller, head of Germany’s network regulator, He said only 30 percent is expectedAn indication from the exporter of how much will be shipped, citing “recommendations” in the pipeline.
As it cut supplies, Gazprom tried to call “Force Major” – A legal provision used to release a party from contractual obligations during extreme events such as war, storm or fire.
With prices high and gas storage levels relatively low, the European Commission on Wednesday unveiled a plan for countries in the bloc to Reduces their gas usage by 15 percent in winter.
Germany, one of the most exposed countries due to its dependence on Russian energy, is already in the second phase of the gas crisis plan.
German consumers are urged to save energy in any way they can Take a cold shower and turning off the lights. The hot water in the municipal buildings has been turned off, and the fountains are still lying. Some residential landlords have said they may turn down the heat this winter.
The government’s hope is that it will not have to take the final drastic step in its contingency planning: market intervention to deny gas supplies to some industries.
“Russia is threatening us,” European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said Wednesday as she unveiled Europe’s contingency plans. Whether it’s a partial gas cut or a bigger one, “Europe needs to be ready,” he added.
Germany tried to eliminate any pretexts that Russia could use to cut off supplies. Earlier this month, Canada insisted on ignoring its own sanctions Turn a turbine With the Nord Stream pipeline stuck in Montreal, Moscow could not use that as an excuse to keep gas from flowing.
