Putin Says Nord Stream Can Reopen If Turbines Available

Sep 7, 2022

(Bloomberg) Vladimir Putin blamed Western nations for the shutdown of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline and said flows to Europe could restart as soon as sanctions on Russia are eased, allowing it to return and service turbines.

“Give us turbines and we’ll turn on Nord Stream tomorrow,” he said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. “But they won’t give us anything.”

Germany has previously said a turbine that had been sent for repair is ready to be sent back to Russia but Moscow has said paperwork issues are an obstacle. Earlier on Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused Russia of “blackmail” over energy supplies.

The Russian president was commenting on Nord Stream for the first time since the key gas conduit was closed indefinitely. Europe has created a “sanctions dead-end,” Putin said.

ROO.AI Oil and Gas Field Service Software

He said it was “nonsense” to suggest Moscow was using energy as a weapon against Europe to retaliate against sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

State-run Gazprom PJSC has gradually reduced flows via Nord Stream, causing gas and power prices in Europe to surge.

Putin said a drop in gas exports to Europe, historically the biggest market for Gazprom, wouldn’t hurt Russia. He said the company had agreed on key details, including pricing, for a third supply deal with China.

Gazprom has already pledged to send as much as 38 billion cubic meters annually to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline and another 10 billion cubic meters via the Far Eastern route. The expected third deal could add another 50 billion cubic meters a year to the deliveries.