Gazprom temporarily suspends Nord Stream 1 gas deliveries to Germany

Russian gas deliveries to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline stopped early on Wednesday as planned, according to pipeline operator Nord Stream AG.

According to the Nord Stream AG website, no significant volume of gas flowed through the pipeline between 3 and 4 am (0100 GMT and 0200 GMT). The volume of gas deliveries had already dropped in the previous hour.

Russian state-owned energy giant confirmed on Wednesday that "the service via Nord Stream has been completely stopped," in a message shared on Telegram. It said planned service work was beginning on multiple compressor stations.

Gazprom gave advance warning that gas deliveries would be temporarily suspended on Wednesday due to maintenance work, with deliveries due to resume early on Saturday.

Klaus Müller, the head of Germany's energy regulator, the Federal Network Agency, has cast doubt on the veracity of the maintenance work claim.

In recent weeks, as little as 20% of the maximum possible gas delivery volume has been delivered through the pipeline.

Gazprom has repeatedly cited technical reasons for the sharp decrease in deliveries, specifically citing the need to service one compressor and the lack of a turbine. The German government has publicly questioned the claim, with Müller saying the proposed repairs don't make sense, technically.

But analysts say they expect the flow of gas, albeit only at 20% capacity at a maximum, to resume on Saturday so that Russia can continue to use the threat of turning off supplies as a bargaining chip.

That said, some analysts think Gazprom will turn off the fuel again, in October, when it might claim that it has to service the system again.

Germany is prepared for the winter due to the measures taken to store gas and help businesses move to alternative forms of energy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a press conference on Wednesday after a Cabinet retreat in Meseberg.

Speaking alongside Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Scholz criticized Russia for using gas as a "means to influence the decision making of other countries," but said he was confident that the measures taken by his government have prepared the country for the winter ahead.

However, he also added that it was not a question of guaranteeing energy supply, but also of helping consumers shoulder the costs.

While no concrete proposals were announced, Scholz promised that the government was working on a strategy to ease the financial pressures on consumers.

Lindner spoke of a "hefty package" of measures to help people and called for systemic change in reforming the link between the price of gas and other forms of energy.