Germany’s federal regulator and industrial giant Siemens Energy both cast doubt on Russia’s reasoning for not resuming gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Baltic Sea.
"The defects cited on the Russian side are no reason to stop operating [the pipeline]" Germany's Federal Network Agency said in a report on Germany's gas supply on September 3.
Siemens Energy, which supplies and maintains equipment at Nord Stream 1's Portovaya compressor station, said it was prepared to make any repairs necessary but denied that Russia had requested it do the work.
"Siemens is taking part in repair work in accordance with the current contract, is detecting malfunctions...and is ready to fix the oil leaks," Gazprom said on its Telegram channel.
Russian state-controlled Gazprom on September 2 said an oil leak on turbines at the compressor station at Portovaya had forced it to indefinitely suspend gas deliveries after an earlier three-day pause for maintenance.
But doubts about the claims surfaced after Siemens Energy denied that an oil leak of this type would make deliveries impossible.
"Irrespective of [any needed repairs], we have already pointed out several times that there are enough additional turbines available in the Portovaya compressor station for Nord Stream 1 to operate," a spokesperson for the company said.
The stoppage has fueled fears that Russia will keep the pipeline offline for a longer period to put pressure on Western nations and break their unity in sanctioning Russia for its war against Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly denied it uses energy supplies as a weapon.
In its situation report, the Federal Network Agency said the German gas supply situation continues to be tense and that a further deterioration was possible.
"However, gas supply is currently stable in Germany. Supply security continues to be guaranteed in Germany for the time being," the statement said.
Germany, with Europe’s largest economy, has started to receive gas supplies from Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands, representing a major shift for a country that previously relied mainly on imports from Russia.