Russia will halt gas flows completely through Nord Stream 1 for three days.

In recent months, there have been fears of a full Russian gas shutoff as Gazprom has cut gas deliveries through its main pipeline to Europe to around 20% of the total capacity.

The energy giant stated the decision for the three-day closure was to allow “technical maintenance work” to be done.

The move is expected to cause further disruption and drive energy prices higher, as certain European countries, including Germany, depend largely on these deliveries.

In a statement, Gazprom said: “According to the technical specifications provided by Siemens, the unit must undergo technical maintenance every 1,000 hours, namely, the casing must be inspected for cracks, dents, deformations and burn-throughs and cleaned; the oil, air and gas combustion venting systems must be checked for leaks, connections must be tightened and the causes of leaks must be eliminated; the safety valves must be subjected to performance checks and the airflow control system must undergo adjustments.”

Gas transmission operations are planned to resume at the rate of 33 million cubic metres per day, provided that no malfunctions are identified, Gazprom has said.

A few weeks ago, the delayed delivery of the Nord Stream 1 gas turbine, which had allegedly been the reason for Gazprom’s decision to cut gas flows from the pipeline, was the main point of a dispute between Germany and Russia.