Russia’s gas giant will stop gas delivery via both strings of the Turkish Stream pipeline from today until 28 June due to scheduled annual maintenance. The suspension has been agreed in advance by all interested parties, said Gazprom.
The Turkis Stream pipeline began operation in January 2020 with a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters annually. One of TurkStream’s two 15.75 bcm per year strings supplies the Turkish market, while the second delivers gas to Southeastern and Eastern European countries such as Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Hungary.
Gazprom halted gas supplies to Bulgaria earlier in April, as Sofia refused to comply with a Kremlin decree on buyers in “unfriendly” countries making payments to gas to accounts at Gazprombank, for conversion into rubles and then transfer to Gazprom.
Last week, the Russian state-owned energy giant significantly reduced gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to just 40 per cent of usual levels citing the delayed return of equipment being serviced by Germany’s Siemens Energy.
Nord Stream 1 is the main pipeline of Russian gas to Europe after gas flows through Ukraine were reduced amid the war. European companies like Italy’s ENI, Austria’s OMV, Germany’s Uniper and French network operator GRTgaz have subsequently all reported reductions in gas flow.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck described the cut as politically motivated. and the German Federal Network Agency called the supply situation tense arguing that Russia is following a clear strategy in reducing gas supplies.
