Russia’s Gazprom said on Saturday it would increase its shipments of gas to Europe via Ukraine, according to media reports.
The development comes after the Russian energy giant said on Friday that it would not restart the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany as planned for Saturday, after a three-day maintenance break.
The company said it would ship some 42.7 million cubic meters of natural gas through Ukraine to Europe on Saturday, Reuters reported. Flows from the entry point at Sudzha were slightly higher compared to Friday’s 41.3 million cubic meters, but that doesn’t make up for the shortfall in gas that was expected to flow from Nord Stream 1 on Saturday, the agency said.
Gazprom on Friday said oil leaks were found on parts of a pipeline compressor and that the equipment had to be taken offline until it is fixed. Siemens is working on repairs, Gazprom said on Telegram on Saturday.
But Siemens Energy, which normally services Nord Stream 1 turbines, said this sort of oil leak should not halt the pipeline’s operations, according to reports.
“Such leaks do not normally affect the operation of a turbine and can be sealed on site. It is a routine procedure within the scope of maintenance work,” Siemens Energy said, according to Russian news agency TASS.
“In the past, too, the occurrence of this type of leak has not led to a shutdown of operations,” a spokesperson for Siemens Energy was quoted as saying.