published3. September 2022, 17:20
Extension of delivery stopNord Stream 1 is at a standstill – that means the gas throttling for Switzerland
The Baltic Sea pipeline is still out of service on Saturday. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, as long as the neighboring countries fill their gas storage facilities, this will not affect Switzerland. Economiesuisse replies that relying on the reserves in the EU is naïve.
According to Gazprom, the last remaining turbine at the Portovaya compressor station needs to be serviced every 1,000 working hours.
REUTERS
In the past, Russia had cited a turbine serviced in Canada as the reason for the reduced supply.
AFP
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Since early Wednesday morning, no gas has flowed through the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 to Germany. Contrary to the announcement, operations did not resume on Saturday. The reason is an oil leak, according to the Russian state-owned company Gazprom.
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According to the Federal Office of Energy, the delivery stop does not change anything in Switzerland’s starting position. Switzerland has enough gas reserves stored abroad.
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Economiesuisse, however, warns against relying on the gas storage facilities in the EU area.
The federal intelligence service has warned of one in the past Russian gas supply ban. Now Nord Stream 1 is standing still, contrary to the announcement that the gas would flow through the Baltic Sea pipeline again on Saturday. In a statement published on Telegram and Twitter on Friday evening, the Russian state-owned company Gazprom announced that it would alleged maintenance work there was an oil spill. Gas flow must be stopped until the leak is fixed, Gazprom said.
It is still unclear when the pipeline will resume operations. An EU Commission spokesman criticized on Twitter that Nord Stream 1 had been shut down “under false pretenses”.
In a statement, the German Federal Ministry made it clear that it had already prepared for the “unreliability of Russia” in the past few weeks and acted accordingly. In a press release, a spokeswoman stressed that the Security of supply in Germany is guaranteed.
Switzerland has procured and stored gas reserves abroad
And Switzerland? Marianne Zünd from the Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) reassured. “The delivery stop is currently not changing the starting position in Switzerland,” she says to 20 minutes. Switzerland has procured gas reserves abroad and stored them there. A week ago, the gas industry completed these emergency purchases. “For these reasons, the current situation has no direct impact on the reserves abroad.” Things are different for European nations that have not yet filled their gas storage facilities. How long the interruption will last is difficult to estimate. “The authorities are observing and keeping a close eye on how the situation is developing,” said Zünd.
A look at the current data situation in Germany shows that the filling level of the gas storage facilities is currently in line with the usual increase. At 85 percent, it is in line with the average for recent years. The gas storage facilities in France are up to 90 percent full. The aim of both countries is to fill the storage tanks completely by winter.
«Relying on gas storage in Europe in winter would be naïve»
For Switzerland, which gets its gas mainly from the two neighboring countries, this is a good prognosis, according to Thomas Hegglin, media spokesman for the Association of the Swiss Gas Industry, compared to 20 minutes: “One cannot speak of relaxation. But there are positive signals.” The delivery stop for Switzerland has no direct consequences. “Immediate consequences” are not to be expected in this country, even if Nord Stream 1 remains shut down in the coming days, according to Hegglin. Nevertheless, it will be more difficult for Germany to fill its reserves up to 95 percent by November 1, according to plan.
However, Economiesuisse warns: “Relying on the gas storage facilities in Europe for the winter would be naïve.” The gas storage tanks are only used for temporary bridging. In Germany, these cover around 30 percent of winter requirements, according to Rudolf Minsch, Chairman of the Management Board of the Economic Association. “In an emergency, we cannot simply rely on the reserves abroad. If nothing comes from Russia and Putin turns off the gas supply to us, then Switzerland could be left in the dark,” Minsch emphasized to 20 minutes.
What measures are taken in the event of a gas bottleneck
If a Gasengpass occurs, the national economic supply has four measures at its disposal to reduce consumption. First of all, the population and the economy would be called upon to save gas. If there is still a shortage, so-called dual-fuel systems would be switched to oil.
In a third step, bans and restrictions would be imposed step by step. Then, for example, swimming pools and empty rooms should no longer be heated. As a last measure, quotas would be set. All companies and facilities would be affected except for households and “basic social services” such as hospitals, retirement homes, the police, fire brigade or the drinking water supply. The Federal Council emphasizes that these measures only come into force in the event of a serious shortage.