Russia looks set to restart gas supplies via Nord Stream 1 — a sign of relief for Europe in its energy crisis
- Russian gas deliveries via Nord Stream 1 look set to resume Saturday as planned, grid data shows.
- Gazprom shut down the pipeline's flows to Europe, already at only 20% capacity, for maintenance.
Russia appears ready to resume natural gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Saturday as planned, lifting some of the pressure on a continent battling a worsening energy crisis.
Network data suggest the flows will restart after a three-day halt with the pipeline operating at 20% of its normal capacity, as before the shutdown.
The data come as a relief to European countries scrambling to secure key natural gas supplies ahead of the winter rise in demand.
Many fear Russia will continue to choke off gas flows, and a top minister said Thursday that Germany can't count on state-controlled Gazprom not to fully shut down Nord Stream 1 deliveries in coming months.
The state-owned energy giant said it halted gas flows via the key pipeline Wednesday for planned maintenance works. In July, it slashed Nord Stream 1 capacity to 20%, saying it was waiting for a repaired part to be delivered.
France's energy minister, like many of her European counterparts, has accused Moscow of using gas supplies "as a weapon of war". Russia is seen as squeezing the energy supply to put economic pressure on Europe, in retaliation for Western sanctions over its war on Ukraine.
European natural gas prices fell Friday on the Nord Stream 1 news, with benchmark Dutch TTF futures on the ICE exchange down nearly 12% to under 215 euros ($215) per megawatt hour.
Meanwhile, European stocks rallied on hopes for some relief in the energy crisis. The continent's flagship Stoxx 600 index was up 0.49% at last check, while Frankfurt's DAX 40 added 1.36%.