Gazprom: operation of faulty units at Nord Stream is against the law

The operation of the gas compressor unit Trent 60 (GCU) at the compressor station (CS) “Portovaya” in connection with malfunctions is contrary to the norms of Russian legislation, informed the press service of Gazprom in his Telegram channel.

The company noted that the “Safety Rules for Hazardous Production Facilities of Trunk Pipelines” approved by Rostekhnadzor in December 2020 establish that “Gazprom» is obliged to ensure the explosion safety of the facility. “We are talking about “prevention of explosions and fires of technological equipment; exclusion of the possibility of explosions and fires in the volume of industrial buildings, structures and outdoor installations. Thus, the operation of GPU No. 24 with identified malfunctions directly contradicts the requirements of Russian legislation,” Gazprom said in a statement. The company also added that in accordance with Art. 9 of the Law “On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities”, the organization is obliged to suspend the operation of the facility, in case of detection of circumstances “affecting industrial safety”.

September 2Gazprom» fully suspended gas transportation at the Nord Stream gas pipeline due to a malfunction found in the turbine during routine maintenance. When they are together with representatives Siemens inspection on the unit revealed oil leakage at the terminals, cable connections and other places. “The act of detecting an oil leak was also signed by representatives of the company Siemens“, – reported in the press service.

Gazprom noted that Rostekhnadzor warned the company that the identified malfunctions did not allow “to ensure safe trouble-free operation of the gas turbine engine,” and therefore it was necessary to suspend its operation.

Similar oil leaks were found earlier at several other GPUs, which are now also idle, as Siemens reported that the elimination of leaks is possible only in the conditions of a repair enterprise, and there is no place to repair turbines due to sanctions.

August 31 Gazprom stopped the only gas pumping unit that works at Portovaya due to scheduled repairs. In the absence of technical malfunctions, it was planned to resume pumping on September 3rd.

Because of the sanctions imposed against Russia, Canada cannot return the equipment to Russia. As a result of negotiations with Germany, Ottawa agreed to transfer all six turbines undergoing maintenance in Montreal to Gazprom and sent one of them to Germany. However, Gazprom never accepted the turbine due to legal uncertainty.