The energy crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting spiral of retaliation between Moscow and the West, as well as the drought that punishes Europe, has reached a new chapter: Germany, Europe’s main industrial power, dependent on Russian gas, will be able to reverse the policy of shutting down nuclear energy, while its chancellor again criticized the Putin regime for not respecting the agreement on gas supplies. The French neighbour, despite maintaining – and strengthening – nuclear policy could face gas cuts during the winter, the government has warned.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accused Moscow of blocking the delivery of a turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which is stored in Germany, after undergoing maintenance in Canada, because Russian authorities have not yet given permission for it. his entry into the country. . “The turbine is ready, there is no reason not to transport it to Russia. It can be delivered and used at any time. There is no reason not to respect gas supply contracts”, said Scholz after a visit to a Siemens unit in Mülheim, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region.
In July, the pipeline was completely shut down for ten days for maintenance work, and Russia resumed throughput on July 21, but at only 40% capacity and, a few days later, at 20%.
The limitation was justified by the Russian company Gazprom on the grounds that Canada was blocking the return of a turbine engine that was under repair in that country, due to sanctions, before being transported to Germany. Faced with this scenario, the European Union has not lacked those, like the French Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire, who predicted the total cut off of Russian gas.
In an interview with the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, Scholz made a point of saying that the criticisms of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are “totally unfounded” and that the decision to hand over the turbine “is hardly a favor to Gazprom, it is a strong sign of support for Germany and to Europe”. Scholz clarified that Turbine had received “all necessary approvals” to export from Germany to Russia and that this could no longer be used as a pretext for “Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bluff”.
But Gazprom does not have the same understanding as the Social Democratic Chancellor about the freedom to receive the turbine and again justified itself with the sanctions: “The sanctions regimes in Canada, the EU and the UK Uni, as well as the inconsistencies of the current situation on Siemens’ contractual obligations, make delivery impossible,” the energy company said in a statement.
Faced with uncertainty over gas supplies, Scholz said it “might make sense” to keep Germany’s three nuclear power plants operating that have not yet been decommissioned, a topic that is causing heated discussions between the three parties in the government coalition. A “stress test” of the national electricity network will be decisive, before deciding on the continuity of the nuclear power plants.
Scholz’s initiative coincided with an interview with former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, director of Nord Stream and close to the Russian regime, to Back and RTL, in which he blamed Siemens for the delays.
In the aforementioned interview with Schröder, he states that “the good news is that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution” to the conflict with Ukraine. The former head of the German government confirmed that he had met Vladimir Putin last week and said he believed that the agreement between Kyiv and Moscow under the auspices of Turkey and the United Nations for the export of grain in the Black Sea is the first step. towards the talks that will lead to a truce. Schröder called the war a “mistake of the Russian government”, but also criticized Ukraine for not respecting the Minsk agreements.
Heatwave scenario, drought and cuts in France
In the midst of a heat wave and drought, the French government has warned companies and state services that they must reduce their energy consumption and let it be known that there could be gas cuts during the winter. France produces three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear energy, but the industrial sector and households are gas consumers. And Energy Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher warns against the possibility of supplying energy “in solidarity” to Germany, then the reserves may not be sufficient to avoid gas cuts.
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