Assessing that the European Union will take prompt action regarding this energy crisismoving faster than usual, said the German Chancellor Olaf Soltz, at a press conference after a government meeting.

Mr. Scholz also said that Germany would take action on energy prices, adding that he had discussed with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez about strengthening energy networks in Europe.

He also said that Germany had taken steps to ensure its energy security, recognizing early on the danger that Russia would use exports of minerals as a tool to influence other countries.

“All the decisions that we have taken… are geared towards this very goal, so that we as a country can survive the winter,” Mr. Soltz stressed.

Stream interruption in Nord Stream 1

Earlier, Russia temporarily suspended gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to European countries, citing repair work.

News of this new suspension of Nord Stream gas supplies has been around for days, as the Russian state-owned energy giant claims it needs to carry out “necessary” work at a compressor station on a pipeline linking gas fields in Siberia with northern Germany. from where it is exported to other European countries.

According to the Russian company, the repair work will last until 3 am Saturday. Initially, Gazprom talked about a three-day shutdown (until September 2), which will eventually be four days (until September 3).

European governments fear that further restrictions on gas supplies will exacerbate the energy crisis, which has already pushed wholesale gas prices up more than 400% since last August.

“Germany is more prepared”

For his part, the head of Germany’s federal energy regulator, Klaus Müller, said the work to be done on the pipeline was “technically incomprehensible,” calling it a pretext for Moscow to increase pressure on Ukraine’s allies.

At the same time, according to him, Berlin is now better prepared for the suspension of supplies via Nord Stream, since the country’s strategic natural gas reserves are almost 85% full.

“In winter, we can get gas from stocks, we save gas (and we must continue!), LNG terminals are on, and thanks to Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway (and soon France), gas is flowing,” Miller. pointed out on Twitter.

France on Russia: They use pretexts for “scissors” on gas – We were ready

OUR Gazprom he just uses prepositions to stop providing natural gas in the French energy company Engie, the French energy minister said, adding that her country was expecting supplies to stop.

“As we expected, Russia is using gas as a weapon of war and is using the way Engie contracts are being implemented as an excuse to further cut supplies to France,” Agnès Pannier-Rinachet said in a statement released the day before.

The remarks come hours after Russian energy giant Gazprom said it would completely suspend natural gas supplies from French energy company Engie from Thursday, citing a payment dispute. The move is expected to heighten concerns about Europe’s winter power supply.

Moscow: Sanctions are the only obstacle to the work of Nord Stream

Yesterday, Moscow explained the closure of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline for three days with technical problems due to Western sanctions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that nothing stands in the way of Russian gas exports to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, except for technical problems caused by Western sanctions.

Peskov said Russia is ready to meet its obligations to export gas, but Western sanctions are preventing equipment from being serviced and returned.

Bloomberg: EU warehouses fill up two months early

It is noted that, as reported in yesterday’s Bloomberg publication, the EU. intends to complete its task of filling natural gas storage facilities two months ahead of schedule.

As highlighted, natural gas storage facilities in the EU were 79.4% full on 27 August, with the target being 80% full by 1 November.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, energy has been at the center of the confrontation between Russia and the West, which often accuses Moscow of using natural gas as a “weapon”.

In recent months, Gazprom has reduced gas supplies via Nord Stream by 80%.

^{According to REUTERS, AFP, DPA, BLOOMBERG, APE-MPE.}