LONDON (ICIS) – Russia’s Gazprom said in a Telegram update on July 25 that another gas turbine at Nord Stream’s Portovaya compressor station will be offline from July 27, reducing pipeline flows to 33 million cubic meters/day from 65 million cubic meters/day.
This now reduces the volume by about half of its current flows and up to 20% of its capacity. The latest announcement comes after the Nord Stream pipeline returned from maintenance earlier this month on July 21.
“Regrettably, a reduction in flows through Nord Stream 1 was expected, given the statement made by President Vladimir Putin last week and Gazprom’s continued direct comments on the status of a key compressor,” he said Tom Marzec-Manser, Head of Gas Analysis at ICIS.
“The move will no doubt support the benchmark ICIS TTF, the key European natural gas price, as the reduction further strengthens the supply/demand outlook. The key question now is how long this reduction will actually last at only 20% of pipeline capacity.
“A prolonged period of flows of 33 mcm/day in Nord Stream 1 will likely limit Europe’s ability to inject adequate volumes of gas into storage, which could have consequences for winter supplies. The governments Europeans will have to further encourage reductions in demand, especially in the industrial sector.”
