LONDON (Reuters) – Russia’s Gazprom said on Friday that natural gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline would remain shut off after the main gas turbine at the Portovaya compressor station near St Petersburg was found to have an engine oil leak during a joint inspection with Siemens Energy, which maintains the turbine.
It said the turbine could not operate safely until the leak was repaired, and gave no timeframe for the resumption of gas supplies via the pipeline, which had been due to return to operation early on Saturday after a three-day maintenance break.
Gazprom said in its statement on Telegram that the oil leak detection report “was also signed by representatives of Siemens”.
Gazprom cited Siemens as saying that the necessary repairs could only be done in “the conditions of a specialised workshop”.
In a statement on Telegram, Gazprom provided what it said was a picture showing leaked oil on equipment at the compressor station.
Nord Stream 1, which runs under the Baltic Sea to supply Germany and others with gas, had been running at only 20% of capacity even before flows were halted for three days this week for maintenance.
Gazprom has said European Union sanctions have resulted in technical problems preventing it being able to provide the full volume of contracted gas through the pipeline.
Siemens Energy rejects this and says there are no legal obstacles to its provision of maintenance for the pipeline.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
