Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) holds Russia responsible for delays in the return transport of a turbine for the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline that has been serviced in Canada. The turbine can be transported back at any time, said Scholz during a factory visit to Siemens Energy in Mühlheim an der Ruhr, where the turbine is stored.
“Somebody just has to say I want her, then she’ll be there very quickly,” said Scholz. The Chancellor accuses the owner, the Russian energy giant Gazprom, of not being able to understand all the technical reasons put forward for a reduction in gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1 on a factual basis. “That’s also part of the truth,” says Scholz.
“Nothing stands in the way of onward transport,” declared the Federal Chancellor during his visit. Only information from Russia, from Gazprom, would be missing. “It is clear and simple: the turbine is there and ready to be delivered”.
Even if the turbine were to be delivered after all, one would have to reckon with the fact that Russia would not meet its delivery obligations again at any time. One would prepare for this – for example by saving gas.
The SPD politician arrived in the morning at the Siemens Energy plant in Mühlheim an der Ruhr, where the turbine, which has been serviced in Canada, has been ready for onward transport to Russia since mid-July.
For a long time, Russia has been supplying significantly less gas through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline than would be possible in terms of capacity. The reason given is the missing turbine.
Siemens Energy and the federal government state that the turbine can be brought to Russia at any time. The Russian energy giant Gazprom, whose subsidiary Nord Stream AG owns the turbine, cites missing documents as the reason for the delay. (Reuters)