Scholz: Germany will be able to ensure energy security despite the extraordinary situation in the Nord Stream

BERLIN, 4 October – RIA Novosti. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a press conference after his meeting with the heads of government of the federal states on Tuesday that Germany can ensure its security in the energy field despite the events with Nord Stream.

“Despite the lack of other gas going through pipelines from Russia to Germany and what we’ve learned about the dramatic destruction of some in the Baltic Sea, Germany will likely be able to ensure energy security.” He talked about the new agreements on Germany’s gas imports, the construction of LNG tanks and the achievements of gas storage facilities, currently at filling levels of up to 92 percent.

The German Chancellor also stated that Berlin and the federal states have reached an agreement to stabilize the energy crisis with aid packages totaling 250 billion euros.

The attacks took place on September 26 simultaneously on two Russian gas pipelines exported to Europe – Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. Germany, Denmark and Sweden do not exclude targeted sabotage. Nord Stream AG reported that the state of emergency on the gas pipelines is unprecedented and it is impossible to predict the timing of repairs.

Gazprom reported on October 3 that the pressure in the damaged Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines has stabilized, gas leaks have stopped, and gas is pumped through another Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to check its integrity. In response, the Swedish Coast Guard said that a “smaller” leak from Nord Stream 2 continued that day, and even slightly increased.

The Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation initiated a case regarding the international terrorist act after the damage to the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines. Russian President Vladimir Putin, regarding the sabotage in Nord Stream, said that the Anglo-Saxons are no longer enough sanctions, they are starting to destroy the pan-European energy infrastructure.

Operation of Nord Stream has been suspended since the end of August due to problems with repairing Siemens turbines due to Western sanctions, but the pipeline remained full of gas. Nord Stream 2, which was completed in 2021 but never put into operation, is already gas-filled.