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Nord Stream pipeline to be shut down for scheduled repairs until Aug 20

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Nord Stream gas pipeline that links Russia to Germany across the floor of the Baltic Sea will be shut down as of August 11 through to August 20 for scheduled repairs, which will embrace both threads of the line, Gazprom officials said on Monday.

The Nord Stream will become the first export route where Gazprom will implement the practice of short-term auctions for gas deliveries.

It hopes to hold three auctions where it will sell 127 lots on September 7, 8, 9, and 10. The first auction envisions delivery of gas by the Nord Stream to Greifswald and the subsequent supplies to customers by the NEL pipeline (48 lots).

The second auction will have 22 lots and will envision transportation of gas by the OPAL pipeline from Greifswald. The third auction will have 57 lots and presuppose delivery to the Olbernhau-2 station, which is the point of entry to the pipeline system of the Czech Republic.

During the winter of 2015/2016 supplies of gas purchased at the auctions will reach 3.2 billion cubic meters.

Nord Stream has two 1,224 km-long threads, and each thread has a throughput capacity for 27.5 bcm of gas. It links Europe directly to the largest deposits of natural gas via Baltic seabed.

NEL and OPAL pipelines are the Nord Stream’s extensions in the territory of Germany.

Russia’s major producer and exporter of gas, Gazprom, has a 51.0% stake in the pipeline. The other shareholders are Wintershall and E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany [15.5% each], Casunie of the Netherlands (9.0%) and ENGIE of France (also 9.0%).

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