Germany Is on Edge Waiting for Russia to Restart the Gas on Nord Stream 1

Months of brinkmanship by Russia over the flow of natural gas to Germany and the rest of Europe could reach a high point later this week, when a temporary shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is scheduled to end.

Nord Stream 1, the main pipeline connecting Germany and Russia, is operated by Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy giant. Gazprom, which recently warned European buyers of its gas that it might cut off flows, shut down the pipeline on July 11 for annual maintenance. Gazprom is scheduled to restart the pipeline after about 10 days, as it has done in past years.

But this year the closure has raised concerns that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia will keep the pipeline shut to punish Germany and the rest of Europe for their opposition to the war in Ukraine. Other pipelines, running through Poland and Ukraine, are not being used as alternative links to send gas as they were in past years during the temporary shutdown, Germany’s pipeline regulator said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/business/nordstream-shutdown.html