Status: 07/10/2022 10:43 p.m
Canada wants to send back a serviced turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany. In addition, the government in Ottawa announced an exception to the Russia sanctions. Sharp criticism comes from Kyiv.
Ukraine has protested against the planned delivery of the serviced Russian Nord Stream 1 turbine from Canada to Germany. A statement by the foreign and energy ministries in Kyiv said they were “deeply disappointed” by the Canadian government’s decision to make an exception to the sanctions imposed on Russia in this case. “We urge the Canadian government to reconsider this decision and ensure the integrity of the sanctions system.”
Ukraine, which has now been defending itself against a Russian war of aggression for four and a half months, criticized Russia’s ability to supply gas in full even without the turbine. “Russia’s demand for the mandatory return of the turbine to continue gas transportation is blackmail.” If the West now gives in, a “dangerous precedent” will be set that will reinforce “Moscow’s sense of impunity,” sources in Kyiv said.
Turbine will initially be delivered to Germany
In mid-June, the Russian energy company Gazprom reduced its gas deliveries to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline and pointed to delays in the repair of gas compressors. The energy technology group Siemens Energy then announced that a gas turbine overhauled in Canada could not currently be returned from Montréal due to the Russian sanctions. Canada now wants to have the turbine sent to Germany instead of directly to Russia.
Canada had argued that without the necessary gas supply, the German economy would suffer greatly and Germans might not be able to heat their homes in winter. The aim is to ensure that Europe has “access to reliable and affordable energy” while slowly moving away from Russian oil and gas. Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson announced in a statement on Twitter that his country would give “a temporary and revocable permit” to Siemens Canada.
Wilkinson justified the exemption from the sanctions by saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to use his energy policy to divide the Allies against Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. “We can’t allow that,” Wilkinson said. Canada stands with Ukraine and will continue to impose sanctions on Moscow and work with European leaders to end dependence on Russian gas imports and stabilize energy markets as soon as possible.
The federal government reacts with relief
As expected, the federal government was pleased – in the past few weeks it had made intensive efforts to get the turbine approved. “We welcome the decision of our Canadian friends and allies,” a government spokesman said. The Federal Ministry of Economics acknowledged a “good and constructive exchange with the Canadian government”.
The cut in gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 had led to emergency measures by the federal government. Among other things, she worries that the German gas storage facilities could not be sufficiently filled by autumn to also get companies that depend on gas for production to get through the winter well.
emergency measures by the federal government
Russia announced last Friday that it intended to restart energy supplies through the throttled Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline if its repaired gas turbine returned from Canada. “If the turbine comes after the repair, then that will allow for an increase in volume,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax agency. “The only question is why it wasn’t done that way.” Peskov once again denied that Russia was using its gas as a means of exerting political pressure. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck had accused Russia of pretending the reasons for the throttling.
Maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will begin on Monday and should last ten days. The fear was repeatedly expressed that Russia could then send even less gas through the pipeline or none at all.