Europe braces for gas 'nightmare' as pipeline from Russia shuts off
BERLIN - The main natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany shut down for scheduled maintenance Monday, raising concerns that Moscow could use the repairs as a pretext for a longer shutdown as it wields energy supplies as leverage in the Ukraine war.
European ministers warned that it was unclear whether Moscow would turn the taps on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline back on after the 10 days of scheduled work. Germany's economy minister, Robert Habeck, said Berlin was concerned about a "nightmare scenario" this winter if Russia decides against doing so.
"Everything is possible, everything can happen," he told Deutschlandfunk radio on Sunday. "We have to prepare for the worst."
Speaking at a business conference in southern France, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire went further, saying that a total cutoff was "the most likely scenario." He said that "it would be totally irresponsible to ignore this scenario."
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline pumps about 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany each year. From there, it is also distributed to other countries in Europe. Virtually the entire European Union has said that weaning itself off Russian gas should be a priority, but several member countries remain heavily reliant on Moscow.
