Canada sent a turbine for the Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany by plane on July 17 after repair work had been completed, Kommersant newspaper reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the situation.
The return of the turbine from Canada to the Russian Portovaya compressor station, a crucial element of Nord Stream, has been in focus for the past month since Russian energy producer Gazprom reduced gas supplies to Germany.
Europe has seen a reduction in Russian gas supplies amid already soaring energy costs and broader inflation after what Moscow calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine prompted sweeping Western sanctions against Russia.
Nord Stream 1 is currently undergoing planned annual maintenance, which is due to be completed on July 21.
It will take another five to seven days for the turbine, serviced by Germany’s Siemens Energy to reach Russia if there are no problems with logistics and customs, Kommersant reported.
The daily said the turbine will then be sent from Germany by ferry and then transported by land via Helsinki. The equipment is expected to arrive in Russia around July 24, with preparation work taking another three to four days, the paper reported.
Nord Stream AG, the operating company for the pipeline, Gazprom and the Russian Energy Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Siemens Energy declined to comment on the report.
Gazprom said on Saturday it expected Siemens to meet its obligations in full when servicing gas turbines needed for the reliable operation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline and energy shipments to Europe.