Europe's energy crisis looms large after Russia's Gazprom keeps gas pipeline to Germany switched off

berlin: Europe's energy crisis loomed larger Friday after Russian energy giant Gazprom said it couldn't resume the supply of natural gas through a key pipeline to Germany for now, citing what it said was a need for urgent maintenance work to repair key components, just hours before it was due to restart deliveries.

The Russian state-run energy company had shut down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday for what it said would be three days of maintenance.

It said in a social media post Friday evening that it had identified malfunctions of a turbine and added that the pipeline would not work unless those were eliminated.

It was the latest development in a saga in which Gazprom has advanced technical problems as the reason for reducing gas flows through Nord Stream 1 explanations that German officials have rejected as a cover for a political power play following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

European utilities have scrambled to find additional supply during the summer months to get ready for the winter's heating demands, buying expensive liquefied gas that comes by ship, while additional supplies have come by pipeline from Norway and Azerbaijan.

Fears of a winter shortage have eased somewhat as storage has progressed, but a complete cutoff could present Europe with serious difficulties, analysts say. The European Union needs to step up efforts to reduce gas consumption, said energy policy expert Simone Tagliapietra at the Bruegel think tank in Brussels.

The continuing interruptions from Gazrpom mean that a winter with zero Russian gas is the central scenario for Europe. he said. There is only one way to prepare for that: reducing gas and electricity demand.

Gazprom said it had identified oil leaks from four turbines at the Portovaya compressor station at the Russian end of the pipeline, including the sole operational one. It claimed to have received warnings from Russia's industrial safety watchdog that the leaks do not allow for safe, trouble-free operation of the gas turbine

engine.

In connection with this, it is necessary to take appropriate measures and suspend further operation of the gas compressor unit in connection with the identified gross (safety) violations, the company said.