The West Calls on Russia to Breach Safety Rules: Lavrov

There is a feeling that the West, by manipulating the turbine issue, is calling on Russia to breach safety rules, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to RIA Novosti.

Recently, Gazprom announced that it would suspend the operation of another Siemens turbine at the Portovaya compressor station, resulting in daily supplies via the Nord Stream gas pipeline being capped at 33 million cubic meters starting July 27.

“No one can provide us with a clear explanation regarding the condition of these turbines, first and foremost, this turbine and the others that need to comply with Canada’s operational regulations,” Lavrov told journalists at a joint press conference with the President of Uganda.

“Now there is a lot of noise about the fact that Gazprom needs to send another turbine for maintenance,” the minister added.

The Nord Stream, which is Gazprom's main route for gas supplies to Europe, resumed operations on July 21 after planned maintenance. Since mid-June, the output has continued at about 40% of its capacity of around 170 million cubic meters per day. Gazprom explains the delays in the return of German Siemens gas compressor units (GCUs) as the turbines that had been used to supply gas to the pipeline were under repair. Special difficulties arose with the return of the turbine from Canada, while the engine only reached Germany.

It should be noted that earlier, on July 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin elaborated on the situation surrounding the operation of the Nord Stream under sanctions. He clarified that six GPUs from Siemens are used to ensure gas supplies in normal mode, one of which is a backup, but currently, only two units are operational. At the same time, as noted by Putin, by July 26, one of these machines will also need to go for routine maintenance, meaning only one GPU will remain without a turbine from Canada.