Explainer: Nord Stream turbine tension puts focus on gas pipeline parts

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Stress over big generators that Moscow blames for the discount of flows by way of the Nord Stream 1 fuel pipeline has put the give attention to the gear it must function.

The essential half is SGT-A65, a Siemens Power turbine that’s 12 metres lengthy, weighs 20 tonnes, and must be transported again to Gazprom’s Nord Stream Portovaya compressor station following upkeep.

It’s caught in transit in Germany, with Russia pointing to excellent points round its transport and Western sanctions, whereas Germany blames Moscow for intentionally holding up the method.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had stated there was little Russia might do to assist with pressing repairs required to malfunctioning Nord Stream 1 fuel pipeline gear.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will go to the turbine on Wednesday, Siemens Power stated late on Tuesday.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

President Vladimir Putin says the West has unleashed an financial battle geared toward destroying Russia and its financial system, and has promised to promote Russia’s huge vitality assets to international locations in Asia reminiscent of China if European clients don’t need to purchase them.

Kremlin-controlled Gazprom has diminished flows by way of Nord Stream 1, the only largest pipeline carrying Russian fuel to Germany, to twenty% of capability due to what it describes as defective gear, notably the SGT-A65 turbine whose return has been delayed.

Germany has stated that the generators are a pretext, and that Moscow is utilizing fuel as a political weapon. “They do not even have the center to say ‘we’re in an financial battle with you’,” German Economic system Minister Robert Habeck stated final month.

Gazprom has additionally halted one other Siemens Power fuel turbine on the station, citing routine upkeep and the “technical situation” of the engine.

TURBINES AND COMPRESSORS

Eight industrial aeroderivative fuel generators had been initially manufactured by Rolls-Royce for the Portovaya station. Rolls-Royce’s fuel turbine-making operations had been purchased by Siemens Power in 2014.

These generators are wanted to energy driving centrifugal compressors, which elevate strain by condensing fuel volumes to make sure easy transport of the gasoline.

In response to Gazprom, six of the fuel pumping items at Portovaya have a capability of 52 megawatts (MW) every, whereas two items have a capability of 27 MW every.

As well as, there are 4 spare generators on website to make sure the station retains pumping if some gear has to go away the positioning for upkeep, which often occurs each two-to-three years, an individual accustomed to the matter stated.

Two of the six giant items could keep idle with out lowering the station’s capability, a supply accustomed to how the station operates stated.

Gazprom didn’t reply to questions on Nord Stream 1 operations.

“Understandably lots of people are saying ‘that is simply the Russians making excuses whereas they put strain on the European vitality market’,” Jonathan Stern, Distinguished Fellow on the Oxford Institute for Power Research, stated.

“That’s completely potential as a result of we simply do not know sufficient from both Siemens or Gazprom in regards to the upkeep schedule. The issue is that neither facet is giving us the data we want.”

WHAT’S PORTOVAYA?

The Portovaya compressor station is positioned close to the Russian metropolis of Vybord on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the place the Nord Stream 1 fuel pipeline enters the Baltic Sea.

The station pumps pure fuel throughout the Baltic Sea by way of Nord Stream 1’s 1,224 km (760 mile) undersea path to the place it makes landfall in Germany’s Greifswald. Gazprom calls Portovaya the world’s largest compressor station.

Nord Stream 1 has a nameplate capability of 55 billion cubic metres (bcm) per yr. Nevertheless, the pipeline pumped greater than 59 bcm in 2020 and 2021 after measures had been taken to lift capability, representing greater than a 3rd of Russia’s whole fuel provide to the European Union.

Portovaya reached a day by day report of just about 177 million cubic metres per day in 2020.

RUSSIAN TURBINES

Russia produces generators with a most capability of 25 megawatts.

Engineering firm Energy Machines is growing two kinds of turbine with capacities of 65 MW and 170 MW every, it stated.

The 65 MW turbine is predicted to begin working in testing mode solely in 2024, and the opposite later in 2022 or in 2023.

Russian Business and Commerce Minister Denis Manturov stated in a speech final month in parliament that Russia is rushing up trials of the big generators “within the pursuits of the Russian energy sector”.

(Reporting by Reuters; Enhancing by Jan Harvey and Barbara Lewis)