The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which brings Russian natural gas to Germany, is currently operating at just 20% of its capacity, with Moscow citing “technical issues” that have yet to be resolved and the West citing yet another. to blame the Russians for the game.” blackmail” with “weapon” energy in retaliation for the sanctions imposed on them (USA, EU) because of the war in Ukraine.

Analysts believe that the Putin side has deliberately reduced flows to put pressure on the Europeans at a time when the latter are trying to accumulate as much energy as possible in the face of the upcoming, albeit difficult, winter.

“Germany is in for a very harsh winter. However, the most catastrophic scenarios now seem less likely. Despite the fact that Russia has reduced the flow of natural gas through Nord Stream 1 to 20% of capacity, the gas reservoirs in Germany are now more than 70% full. So Berlin’s target of 75 percent occupancy by early September now looks much more achievable,” says Jeremy Cliff of the New Statesman.

Germany is in for a very harsh winter. But the most apocalyptic scenarios now look less likely: despite the fact that Russia has reduced the gas flow in Nord Stream 1 to 20% of capacity, 🇩🇪 gas storage facilities are more than 70% full. Berlin’s target of 75% by early September now looks achievable. https://t.co/L3XEJePsxb

— Jeremy Cliff (@JeremyCliffe) August 7, 2022

Recall that back in early August, the head of the Federal Network Agency of Germany, Klaus Müller, said that natural gas reserves in the country reached 69%, despite the reduction in volumes from Russia, and that a figure of about 0.4 percentage points is added to this daily.