MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Siemens now virtually does not have the capacity to regularly repair units for the Nord Stream pipeline, as it simply has nowhere to do it, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said on Wednesday.
"Today, Siemens has virtually no opportunity to provide regular overhauls of our gas pumping units. Siemens simply has nowhere to carry out these works," Miller said in an interview with Rossiya 1 TV channel.
"The Portovaya compressor station is currently 20% filled, due to anti-Russian sanctions. Our opponents have already imposed so many sanctions that they have created a situation that can be called ‘sanctions confusion’. They've already become confused by these documents, grown entangled in these penalties, and, in essence, they've fallen into their own sanctions trap," Miller said.
Since July 27, the Nord Stream gas pipeline has been used at 20% of its maximum capacity due to the shutdown of several gas turbines. One of them, made in Canada by Siemens Energy, was sent to Montreal for repairs. Due to Ottawa's sanctions against Moscow, the manufacturer initially refused to return the repaired equipment to Germany, but after numerous requests from Germany, it was decided to return the turbine. On August 31, Gazprom announced that the supply of Russian gas through the Nord Stream gas pipeline has been completely stopped, as repairs are starting at the only remaining gas pumping unit at the Portovaya compressor station.