War in Ukraine: Germany, Russia, Canada and the Gas Turbine of Discord

Berlin obtained on Saturday that Canada authorizes the return of a turbine claimed by Gazprom to operate the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which carries a large quantity of gas to Germany. Ukraine believes that this decision demonstrates the ineffectiveness of international sanctions. It is a “capitulation” which will “reinforce the feeling of Russian impunity”. Ukraine did not mince its words, Sunday July 10, with regard to Canada. At issue: the decision taken the day before by the government of Justin Trudeau to agree to send back to Germany a gas turbine that was located near Montreal for repair. This piece of equipment designed by the German group Siemens has since a month, at the heart of the energy showdown between Russia and the West. Germany has stepped up its efforts with Ottawa to obtain the return of the coveted turbine, supposed to be used to operate the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, the main source of gas supply for Germany and other countries in Central Europe. International Imbroglio Against the Background of Sanctions German Chancellor Olaf Scholz even intervened in person to assert that this turbine would “avoid energy shortages”. “We thank our Canadian friends and allies”, greeted the head of the German government after the green light from Ottawa. However, the government of Justin Trudeau had still refused, last week, to return the coin to the sender, c that is, to Gazprom, the Russian energy giant that operates the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. to Berlin’s proposal, which allows it not to fall formally within the scope of the sanctions by shipping the turbine not to Gazprom directly but first to Germany… “Canada has granted Siemens Canada a revocable license and ‘a limited time to allow repaired Nord Stream 1 turbines to return to Germany, which will support Europe’s ability to access reliable and affordable energy,’ said Canadian Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.>> To see: “Ukraine: gas, the other weapon Russian? Moscow suspends deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria”To understand how gas turbines could become such a bone of contention between Russia, Germany, Ukraine and Canada, you have to go back to June 14. This that day, Gazprom said it was “forced” to reduce the amount of gas transported by Nord Stream 1 by almost 60% because of a technical problem linked to international sanctions. In a tweet, the group then clarified that it was about the famous gas turbines manufactured by Siemens that Canada did not want to send back to Russia because of these same sanctions. This is where the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline starts, and to transport the gas you need some kind of powerful engine that, much like an airplane jet engine, propels it along the 1,200 kilometers of tubes. It is the role of the turbines which raise the pressure at the start of the pipeline in order to sufficient to propel the hydrocarbon to the German coast, explains the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. A Russian excuse that no one believes? Gazprom maintains that as long as Canada retains the Siemens turbine, it will not be able properly operate the pipeline. But why did this crucial piece end up on the other side of the Atlantic? In a press release, the German group explains that the part was manufactured and delivered to Gazprom in 2009 by Siemens Canada and can only, “for technical reasons”, be repaired in the group’s workshops in Quebec. must undergo maintenance every ten years and that is how several of them – five of the eight sold to Gazprom – ended up in Canada just before the war in Ukraine. The start of the Russian invasion on February 24 was a game-changer, and with sanctions imposed on exports of oil and gas-related equipment to Russia, Canada had resisted returning the turbine. the argument put forward by Gazprom to justify its decision of June 14 does not seem credible to many observers. Neither Canada, nor Ukraine, nor even Germany really believe in it. Robert Habeck, Vice-Chancellor and German Minister of the Economy, thus affirmed to the chain Bloomberg that this business of turbines “was a pretext”. He said Berlin was confident that Gazprom had spare turbines that could run Nord Stream 1. Even the German Energy Network Agency claimed on June 15 that the 60% drop in gas transported by Nord Stream 1 could not be explained by the lack of a single turbine, reports Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, the editorial site of the media group Madsack Media. Ottawa? In fact, it would be a question of “preventing Vladimir Putin from using [du sujet] as an excuse to deprive Europe of gas”, assured Robert Habeck, still on the Bloomberg channel. Nord Stream 1 closed for maintenance For Germany, it was necessary to act quickly: Canada had to give its agreement before July 11. This Monday , the Russian giant Gazprom has started its annual maintenance operation of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. To do this, the group has cut off the gas tap on the pipeline, which supplies nearly 40% of German needs. than Germany, which is affected: part of the precious hydrocarbon which arrives from Russia via Nord Stream 1 to end its journey in Greifswald, in Pomerania, is then reshipped to several Western European countries, such as the United Kingdom , Belgium or even France.In the current context of strong tension on the energy markets, the smallest cubic meter of gas counts.This annual maintenance does not generally worry anyone.It lasts between 10 and 14 days, then all returns to normal, and the euro countries Europeans – starting with Germany – have plenty of time to build up their gas stocks in anticipation of winter, explains the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. But the war in Ukraine obliges, “we are in an unprecedented situation and everything is possible,” Robert Habeck warned on Sunday in an interview with German public radio. Stream 1. This would be all the more serious as the alternatives are lacking. Nord Stream 1 was one of the last pipelines still supplying significant quantities of Russian gas to Germany, as the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline – which passes through Poland – has dropped significantly in throughput since early July, while it no more Russian gas has been transiting through Ukraine since mid-May, recalls the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. But the story of the turbines is not over yet. Germany has yet to get approval from Brussels for the export of this equipment to Russia despite European sanctions against the Russian energy sector. “All our experts are working to obtain the necessary authorizations,” said Siemens Energy. A turbine that risks turning all the sanctions around.