Nord Stream 1 to Resume Natural Gas Delivery

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline will resume carrying Russian natural gas to Germany beginning today.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the future course of natural gas imports from Russia became a highly contentious topic in Western Europe due to the impacts of the war. In this respect, the Nord-Stream 1 pipeline constitutes a vital place for Europe’s annual gas demand as it has the capacity to pump up to 160 million cubic meters per day. Today, the 10-day operational delay of the pipeline—due to maintenance—will officially come to an end.

While the EU continues to search for alternative gas suppliers, several member-states’—such as Germany and Hungary—reliance on Russian gas remains at a high level. Therefore, it is highly unlikely for the EU to abandon its pre-existing gas projects—most notably the Nord Stream—with Moscow during the short-to medium-term. Gas flows will remain at limited measures moving forward, however. That said, in addition to increasing its seismic research activities in European territorial waters such as the North Sea, the EU will change its route towards liquified natural gas. While this initiative will prove to be costly for the EU during the long-term, it will significantly decrease its dependence on Russian gas.