Kremlin: Nord Stream 1 Turbine to be Installed, Volumes will Adjust

Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
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Kremlin: Nord Stream 1 Turbine to be Installed, Volumes will Adjust

Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
Pipes at the landfall facilities of the 'Nord Stream 1' gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

A repaired gas turbine will be installed in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Germany once it is returned after maintenance, and natural gas will then be supplied in “corresponding volumes”, a Kremlin spokesman said on Monday.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stopped short of saying supply would increase, noting that further equipment needed to be repaired.

But he sounded a relatively upbeat note after weeks of uncertainty over the turbine repair in Canada, and a 10-day shutdown of Nord Stream 1 for annual maintenance, had sown doubt in Europe over whether Russia might shut the pipeline altogether, Reuters reported.

“The turbine will be installed after all the formalities are complete... And the gas will be pumped in the corresponding volumes, the volumes which are technologically possible,” Peskov told reporters.

He was commenting on a report by Kommersant newspaper that Siemens Energy, which had serviced the turbine in Canada, had handed over Canadian documentation to Gazprom which would allow its return.

The Kremlin has denied accusations by European politicians that it is using its energy leverage to “blackmail” the European Union, which together with the United States and other Western nations has imposed waves of sanctions on Moscow since it sent its army into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Gazprom resumed supplies via Nord Stream 1 last week after the 10-day maintenance break, but only at 40% of the pipeline’s capacity.

Russia has said it was forced to lower the volume of gas to that level in June because Western sanctions were delaying the return of the turbine from Canada.

European politicians have challenged that explanation, with Germany saying the turbine in question was not meant to be used until September.

Peskov said that there was more Nord Stream 1 equipment that needed repairing and Siemens Energy was aware of that.

He also said that Moscow was not interested in a complete stoppage of Russian gas supplies to Europe, which is in a rush to fill its underground storage with gas before the winter season.

Peskov said Gazprom was not to blame for the storage risks, reiterating Moscow’s line that Europeans are suffering the consequences of sanctions that they themselves imposed against Russia.



3 Dead, over 80,000 Displaced as Malaysia Prepares for Worst Floods in a Decade

People walk past cars partially submerged in floodwaters in Shah Alam, Selangor on December 21, 2021, as Malaysia faces massive floods that have left at least 14 dead and more than 70,000 displaced. (AFP)
People walk past cars partially submerged in floodwaters in Shah Alam, Selangor on December 21, 2021, as Malaysia faces massive floods that have left at least 14 dead and more than 70,000 displaced. (AFP)
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3 Dead, over 80,000 Displaced as Malaysia Prepares for Worst Floods in a Decade

People walk past cars partially submerged in floodwaters in Shah Alam, Selangor on December 21, 2021, as Malaysia faces massive floods that have left at least 14 dead and more than 70,000 displaced. (AFP)
People walk past cars partially submerged in floodwaters in Shah Alam, Selangor on December 21, 2021, as Malaysia faces massive floods that have left at least 14 dead and more than 70,000 displaced. (AFP)

Malaysia prepared on Friday for its worst floods in a decade after heavier-than-expected monsoon rains caused severe flooding that killed three people and displaced more than 80,000.
The National Disaster Command Center online portal said Friday that 84,597 people, from more than 25,000 families, across seven states were evacuated to 488 temporary shelters. The northeastern state of Kelantan, bordering Thailand, was the worst affected with 56,029 people evacuated from their homes followed by neighboring Terengganu with 21,264.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Thursday that floods this year were expected to the worse than 2014, when more than 250,000 people were displaced and 21 killed. He was quoted by local media as saying that weather forecast indicated that heavy rainfall next month would likely affect more states.
He was quoted by New Straits Times as saying that government agencies were prepared to tackle the disaster. Nearly 83,000 personnel and thousands of rescue boats, four-wheel vehicles and life jackets as well as 31 helicopters are ready, he said. The government has also identified 8,481 temporary evacuation centers nationwide that can accommodate over two million people, he said.
“Given the severity of the situation, all parties have been mobilized to ensure the safety and welfare of flood victims,” he was quoted as saying by national Bernama news agency.
Floods are common in parts of Malaysia during the annual monsoon season, that starts in November and could last until March. The Meteorological Department has said the country can expect between five and seven episodes of heavy rainfall during this period.