Germany in Panic as Russia ‘Temporarily’ Halts Gas Flow
The Wall Street Journal: “The unexpected move could complicate efforts by Germany and much of Europe to fill gas reserves and stave off widespread rationing to keep its population warm through the long continental winter—and avert factory shutdowns.”
Germany is in a state of panic as Russia plans to ‘temporarily’ shut down the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline, claiming maintenance issues. On Friday, Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom made the surprise announcement that it was closing down the pipeline for three days starting August 31.
“Russia has announced that gas flow through the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 will be interrupted in late August for three days. No Natural gas will by supplied to Germany from August 31 until September 2 due to repair work, the state-owned Gazprom said on Friday,” the German newspaper Die Frankfurter Allgemeine reported.
The closure of the main gas pipeline will severely impact Europe’s, and particularly Germany’s, dwindling gas reserves as Russia further reduces energy exports to European buyers. “the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline is operating merely at one-fifth of its actual capacity,” the newspaper added.
While Russia maintains that the pipeline shutdown is purely a technical matter, Berlin fears that the Kremlin is using its stranglehold on the country’s gas supply to pressure it into easing sanctions placed in the wake of the Ukraine war. “The German government has said there are no technical reasons for Gazprom limiting supplies,” the BBC reported.
The pipeline shutdown will likely disrupt power generation and industrial production in Germany and the rest of Europe. “The unexpected move could complicate efforts by Germany and much of Europe to fill gas reserves and stave off widespread rationing to keep its population warm through the long continental winter—and avert factory shutdowns,” the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported Russian decision:
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which supplies gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea, will be shut down from August 31 to September 2 for maintenance, Gazprom said on Friday.
“It is necessary to carry out maintenance every 1,000 hours” of operation, the Russian majority state-owned energy company said in a statement.
“On August 31, 2022, the only Trent 60 gas compression unit will be stopped for three days for maintenance” involving technicians from Germany’s Siemens, Gazprom said.
Following the maintenance, flows of 33 million cubic meters a day will resume, it added. This corresponds to 20% of the pipeline’s daily maximum output, as Nord Stream 1’s full capacity is 167 million cubic meters per day.
Due to previous allegedly necessary repairs, Gazprom had drastically reduced gas deliveries to Germany because of an absent turbine. German officials have repeatedly said the move was an attempt by Russia to punish Germany for its stance on the war in Ukraine and for imposing sanctions on Russia.
Fearing a total shutdown of Russian gas delivery, a senior member of Germany ruling coalition called the government official called the government to reopened the Nord Stream 2 pipeline frozen by Berlin in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Deutsche Welle added:
Earlier on Friday, Wolfgang Kubicki, deputy leader of the Free Democrats (FDP), a junior coalition partner in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government, suggested that opening Russia’s blocked Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could be the answer to a looming energy emergency in the winter. However, his statements met with widespread criticism, including from his own FDP.
It is worth noting that President Donald Trump had threatened to sanction the joint Russo-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline. It was President Joe Biden, who in July 2021 after meeting the then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, waived all objections raised by his predecessor. In late February, the pipeline project was nearing its completion as Russia invaded Ukraine.
Germans Brace for a Cold Winter
As Russia reduces delivery, Germany has been forced to ration the supply of gas to industry, power plants and households. German cities are cutting down on street lighting, and the supply of warm water to schools, sports clubs, and public offices has been slashed. Government offices have been told to cut on heating as Germany prepares for a cold winter.
Gas prices in Germany are touching skies, and this is not a hyperbole. “The electricity and gas prices are going through the roof,” the German newspaper Bild reported last Friday. “The electricity already costs more than four times as much as it did a year ago, and gas seven folds as much.” The government is also charging gas consumers a “surcharge” to bail out German gas suppliers on the verge of bankruptcy, the daily added.
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Comments
Trump warned at you and you LITERALLY laughed in his face.
Enjoy freezing, assholes.
There needs to be a word for specifically enjoying the Germans choking on schadenfreude.
But irony demands it be a Russian word.
Schadenfreudski?
I like it.
Zlорадство (Zloradstvo). I guess roughly translated as “evil joy”.
Schadenfreudenfreude?
That’s really the story of Trump’s political career. Him pointing out the obvious, and political hacks laughing in his face telling him he’s stupid.
No ski vacations to Europe this winter, eh?
Please do not forget that president Biden blocked the funding for the proposed East med pipeline that would’ve brought abundant Israeli natural gas to Europe.
I keep replaying the video of the Germans laughing at Trump when he warned them about their Reliance on Russian energy. Maybe “The Big Guy” can help them out but there is a 10% cover charge. Of course, that video won’t be aired now .
Is there sufficient remaining freedom in Germany for any stout fellows to play that video on German TV?
That video of the arrogant German diplomats, laughing at Trump at the UN, is surely a keeper.
So they won’t listen to Trump, but they listened to Biden and BoJo and the other NATO clowns. Sounds like they got what they deserved.
“Sounds like they got what they deserved.”
Oh, it’s going to get a lot worse. This winter will see factory shutdowns and people out of work in the dark and cold.
No they won’t. They will stay warm by either migrating or using some other resource provided by their highly inflated salaries. Germany is very much a socialist state.
Their people will take the brunt of it.
No problem, Angela Merkel can fix it. She got her PhD in chemistry in Russia and is fluent with the language. Just call Vlad, tell him that you need some gas, pay out the ass for it and if the rivers ever get enough water to float a barge, stockpile some coal.
Until then, get some diesel generators or some engines to spin the windmills.
Happy Euros!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl5CuCmePBw
Do these Gargoyles even have mirrors in their homes?
Pervy Uncle Vlad should leer at Angela and ask her if being choked turns her on.
That was a gaspipe joke, not a windpipe joke.
Merkel is also fluent in “STASI”. She speaks Russian and Putin speaks German.
It’s ironic that my cancer is called Merkel Cell.
A renewable, intermittent, unreliable Green blight amidst a Slavic Spring. They thought they could abort the baby, cannibalize her profitable parts, sequester her carbon pollutants, and have her, too; but, alas, an Ass (pun intended) playing with a double-edged scalpel is prone to self-correction.
LOL.
Gee … you demonize Russia and call it every name in the book, impose sanctions on it trying to destroy Russia’s economy, and act all self-righteous and holier-than-thou in the process … and now you’re whining about being surprised that Russia has little interest in saving your country from itself?
Europe enthusiastically walked into this mess with their eyes wide open. They should be embarrassed to whine about this. This is one of the most pathetic displays I have ever seen.
I miss the old days, when scurvy little European countries sought influence and power by being the biggest bullies… not the biggest victims.
The Trump Russia Collusion hoax is really a bizarre thing to behold. As president, he did everything to push against Russian influence in the world including telling the Germans that they were tying a rope around their necks by relying so much on Russkie gas. And they laughed in his face as per usual.
Also, Putin remembers Hitler’s attack and enjoys getting even,
‘When people ask you what happened here, tell them that the North remembers. Tell them that winter came for House Deutsche’.
The north wind made the Vikings: “It is the north wind that lashes men into Vikings; it is the soft, luscious south wind which lulls them to lotus dreams.”
Vikings gather firewood in summer. Keeps them warm in winter.
How delusional are Europe’s “leaders”? They act as though Russia is under a moral imperative to supply them with oil/gas. They could easily have stayed out of Ukraine and worked to resolve the situation from the sidelines. Chickens/roost, etc.
“They act as though Russia is under a moral imperative to supply them with oil/gas.”
Irony upon irony — that is because Russia are now the capitalists and Germany the communists.
“Russia are now the capitalists”
I wouldn’t go that far.
A 15% flat tax and an understanding that they need to back their currency with more than promises. That part sounds pretty good, other aspects in Russia far less so.
Well, if you talk to Russians themselves, they’ll tell you that the real tax rates are much higher, with all kinds of hidden and not-so-hidden taxes and fees.
To DavidM. Just like here?
Davidm,
Seriously? The federal income tax rate is far from the only tax in the US. We have excise taxes on tobacco, beer, wine, booze. Federal fuel taxes. All replicated at State level. A federal estate tax. State inheritance taxes. Public toll roads.
Metered parking and tow away zones in many cities. Sales taxes with carve outs for favored entities. Property taxes. CT fees, business license fees.
An entire cottage industry of zoning laws. Building codes that sometimes operate not for safety but for personal preference of the regulators. A federal regulatory framework that is incompetent and intrusive at best.
A 15% flat tax is a good start to pruning back govt and reestablish the primacy of the.citizen over the State.
Biden is in a bind. Losing two countries in two years will have a political cost.
Especially after all the rah rah rhetoric.
Here’s a bit of realpolitik.
Obama and Hillary reset relations with Russia.
That was a mistake, and they figured it out in 2014.
Russiagate as a cynical ploy to tar Trump with Russia and divert attention from their folly.
Didn’t her infamous “reset button” say “flush” or something?
PEREGRUZKA
which means “Overload”, as Lavrov pointed out.
And the best part was that Shrillary said that the State Department worked so hard at getting that translation correct! LOL. I guess they couldn’t find a single Russian speaker in the State Department … or maybe it was some Ukranian at State who provided the translation??
Russian Plumber say, “Flush periodically to avoid overload.”
Why would they need Russian translators? I distinctly remember Obama mocking Romney for concerns about Russia.
What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. The cold winter will weed out the weaklings and those who belong to the superior race will survive.
There you go, history always provides a good answer.
Grow a bigger, furrier pair, Fritz.
HAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
(cough cough)
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
In just eighty years they have gone from the superior race to f-ing morons
X1000
I am sure that the Germans will resort to the tried-and-true European method of dealing with catastrophes:
Blame the Jews.
Isn’t Germany about due for another invasion of France?
This time the French just might win.
No doubt. The dumbasses in Germany have no nukes, the French do.
I should probably mention that we did not want the germans to have nukes as they seem to have a propensity for trying to kill other people with weapons of war.
Maybe they should invade Russia again. With the French to cover their backs, what could go wrong?
French have one gear in their tanks……Reverse!
Google searches for “firewood” in Germany have gone off the chart recently and I’m a little concerned
“Remember last month when we told you Deutsche Bank was predicting that Germans might have to stock up on firewood in order to stay warm this winter because of their reliance on Russian energy?”
https://notthebee.com/article/google-searches-for-firewood-in-germany-have-gone-off-the-chart-recently-and-im-a-little-concerned
I don’t think the greenies running Germany will let their forests be razed to heat homes. Better the humans suffer.
Germany has re-learned a valuable lesson from President Trump. Regardless of Biden’s non support of the Germans looking at Israel supplying them with gas via a new pipeline, that should be front and center. Meanwhile Germany needs to keep the coal plants burning and the nuclear plants spinning!
“Germany has re-learned a valuable lesson from President Trump.”
Nah, they would do the same dumb things again. They really are that stupid.
If they’re extremely lucky, this new problem may help abate their Muslim rape problem.
I’m not so sure. Crises like this are what violent invaders live for, and there are millions of Turks in Germany, basically an army.
Then there’s also the specter of African famine looming out there in the fuzzy distance. Wondering if the German “leadership” has any plan for if/when millions of food refugees will be desperately foraging north into affluent Europe.
The lesson has been driven home, but only time will tell if it’s been learned.
This may actually be just maintenance in order to restore Nordstream’s capability to maximum, Germany is not run by stupid people, they aren’t going to be fooled if this isn’t just maintenance.
Did you miss this part?
“Following the maintenance, flows of 33 million cubic meters a day will resume, it added. This corresponds to 20% of the pipeline’s daily maximum output, as Nord Stream 1’s full capacity is 167 million cubic meters per day.”
china Danny is paid to make comments in support of marxist regimes.
Canada’s sanctions dramatically reduced Nordstream 1s capability.
The Germans are discussing permitting Nordstream 2, that is not something they would be doing if they knew Russia was trying to hurt them.
The last thing Russia wants is a vastly larger and higher quality supply of German weapons into Ukraine. They also don’t want a higher German military budget (the German army being superior to the Russian one would mean a much less influential Russia). Both of which would be likely outcomes of a spiteful cut off of gas to Germany.
Russia has been pretty open towards places it has cut off from gas so far.
“Germany is not run by stupid people”
You are hilarious china Danny, a real genius comedian.
Hey! When does the chinese invasion of Taiwan begin?
Aside from being a troll you have ignored me every single time you have received an answer such as the Chinese blockade has been very damaging; The United States government has stated unequivocally that it doesn’t stand behind or back Taiwanese independence, or that while we didn’t get the worst possible outcome we got an appalling outcome (blockade of Taiwan, United States Government condemned Taiwanese independence) and in return WE GOT A GOD DAMNED PICTURE OF NANCY PELOSI.
The reward (A GOD DAMNED PICTURE OF PELOSI) does not come remotely close to the cost; and it sure as hell didn’t come close to the RISK of war which yes WAS a risk.
Barry should just go to hell already, we should be grateful his fiendish idiot kind will never control anything.
Not wanting to escalate to possible armed conflict with a super power does not make me pro-CCP.
Idiots like Barry made the 20th century a graveyard; made America start the 21st century with wars like Iraq and Libya and should be left in the past forever.
China blockades Taiwan, United States government backs China delivering a knockout blow to Taiwanese efforts to be recognized as a nation…upside…..oh right Barry got a picture of Nancy Pelosi
By the way if you have some intel about how much raw material China released to go straight to Moscow costing Ukrainian lives please inform the United States government because Ukraine will be paying for the Taiwan visit; maybe the United States government is wrong for us to be involved in Ukraine but we are involved there and the situation seems to be changing in Russia’s favor as if Putin knows his factories now have a secure source of material.
And there it is, China Danny making up more shit. All because his prediction, his certainty, that the chinese would invade Taiwan if Pelosi stepped foot on the island was an outright lie.
And nothing. Pelosi called their bluff and China Danny is left looking the fool and making up more shit. But hey, Mitch McConnell, the GOPe, and the CCP will continue to write the minimum wage checks.
Everything, and I mean everything, this china owned chump writes is straight from the CCP playbook. All lies.
It’s truly satisfying to watch that clip of German diplomats laughing when Trump warned them about their dependance on Russian oil–I hope they don’t smother under the pile of blankets they’re going to need this winter
This is what happens when you fight a kinetic war with sanctions.
Biden will now sign a bullshit deal with Iran to get oil and gas flowing. He’ll let the rest of the world, including Israel of course, to deal with the messes he creates. The Dems will never apologize. A lot of people will die.
McGehee —
“The lesson has been driven home, but only time will tell if it’s been learned.”
Here ya go:
German economy minister rules out keeping nuclear plants running to save gas
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/german-minister-rules-out-keeping-nuclear-plants-running-save-gas-2022-08-21/
The Yankee phrase for that is “doubling down on stupid.”
I think in the case of the germans it’s tripling, quadrupling, and more.
Or possibly, just proof that Germany is experiencing a “purposely destroy the country” administration, just like our own.
If only there were a friendly, even allied, trading partner with flexible surplus of energy production, in exactly the forms Germans can readily distribute and use.
Oh, wait, none of that’s true any more. Nevermind.