German Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck says he hopes for the resumption of Russian natural gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline after its annual 10-day maintenance is complete.
“I have no secret information regarding either the first or the second scenario,” Habeck told ARD broadcaster, as translated by TASS. “The possibility exists.”
According to the minister, serious concerns in Germany over a gas shortage in the upcoming autumn and winter still remain.
“If it’s impossible to get more gas on the market, we just need to reduce our consumption even more,” he said.
On Monday, Russia’s Gazprom suspended the operations of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline due to the planned annual maintenance, which is set to be complete on July 21. In the middle of June, the flow of gas through the major conduit was slashed to 40% of its capacity due to operational challenges caused by the failure to return a serviced turbine on time from Canada due to the sanctions on Russia.
The Canadian government said it would return the equipment despite criticism and pressure from Ukraine. However, Ottawa has not set a date for shipping the turbine back to Germany.
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