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.



South Korea Completes Missile Interceptor to Counter Any Threat from North

North Korea's Kaephung county is seen from the observatory of the Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
North Korea's Kaephung county is seen from the observatory of the Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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South Korea Completes Missile Interceptor to Counter Any Threat from North

North Korea's Kaephung county is seen from the observatory of the Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
North Korea's Kaephung county is seen from the observatory of the Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korea said on Friday it had completed development of a new ballistic missile interceptor, adding a further layer to defense systems deployed to protect against missile threats from neighboring North Korea.
The move comes after the North designated South Korea a "hostile state" and no longer a partner in the goal of unification, breaking from decades of policy and dramatically escalating tension with hostile rhetoric throughout the year.
The Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (LSAM) is designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles or aircraft at altitudes higher than 40 km (25 miles) in the terminal phase of its descent, the defense ministry said.
Ten years in development, the L-SAM will become operational in the mid- to late 2020s after mass production begins in 2025, the ministry added in a statement.
"This is a cutting-edge weapon that intercepts enemy missiles at high altitudes to minimise damage on land, expanding our military's missile defense capabilities to higher altitudes and wider areas," it said.
The new addition will augment the US Patriot missile and indigenous Cheongung II medium-range interceptor, both currently operational, the South's Agency for Defense Development (ADD) said.
Like the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which South Korea hosts, L-SAM uses the "hit-to-kill" maneuver, relying on advanced technology to fine-tune its flight to strike incoming enemy targets, the ministry said.
North Korea has tested a range of ballistic missiles in the past five years, steadily advancing its arsenal, including shorter-range missiles designed to strike targets in South Korea, which Pyongyang has designated a "primary foe."