After 10-Day Maintenance, Nord Stream 1 Gas Pipeline Resumes Flow to Europe

Rabat – Operating at 30% of its full capacity, the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Europe’s main gas supply pipeline that connects Russia to Germany, has resumed its flows to Europe on Thursday, July 21 after 10 days of outage.

The construction on Nord Stream 1, managed by the Russian state-owned business Gazprom, had been halted due to a technical issue (the lack of a turbine) that had already limited Nord Stream gas delivery by 60% in recent weeks.

After it was closed for repair earlier this month, there was widespread anxiety in the region that the pipeline may be completely shut off.

According to data from Nord Stream’s website, flows climbed from zero to 29,284,591 kWh/h on Thursday. The website noted that flows were nearly the same on July 10, the last day of operations before maintenance work began.

Flows remain, however, at a lower level due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as Moscow has contained supplies to the European zone.

The current flows, according to Klaus Müller, head of the German Network Agency, are only 30% of the pipeline capacity.

The pipeline should provide 530 GWh during the day, according to data provided by Gazprom, Russia’s gas industry company.

“The political uncertainty and the 60% cut from mid-June, unfortunately, remain,” Klaus Müller said on Twitter.

The continuous drop in gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 is anticipated to make it more difficult for nations to replace their stocks before the winter, when gas use is substantially greater.

European nations have thus been exploring alternate gas supplies, such as LNG from the United States, which may be transported via ships.