Operator data suggests Nord Stream 1 flows to resume Sep 3

OPERATOR data on requests for gas on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Europe suggest flows should resume from Saturday (Sep 3) morning, when Gazprom said maintenance work will be completed.

Gas nominations were at 14,437,507 kilowatt hours per hour (kwh/h) for the 4-hour period between 0200-0300 CET and 0500-0600 CET for Sep 3, the operator’s website showed on Friday.

Nominations are essentially capacity requests for gas transport and can be changed by the supplier when needed. When they are changed they are described as renominations, but those can also still be changed.

The nomination amount is similar to levels before the latest maintenance, which represents only 20 per cent of the pipeline’s capacity.

Moscow had cut supply via the pipeline to 40 per cent of capacity in June and to 20 per cent in July, blaming maintenance issues and sanctions that it says prevent the return and installation of equipment.

The reduced flows via Nord Stream have complicated efforts across Europe to save enough gas for winter, when governments fear that Russia could halt flows entirely.

Gazprom this week said that a 3-day maintenance of the Portovaya compressor station would last from 0100 GMT (0300 CET) on Aug 31 until 0100 GMT (0300 CET) on Sep 3. REUTERS