Gas is flowing again through Nord Stream 1, albeit at a low level. The uncertainty remains, the Kremlin uses the gas supplies as leverage. For five decades, Germany obtained cheap energy from Russia – a lot has changed since then, but the energy dependency has remained.

Germany has been getting cheap gas from Russia for 50 years. The history at a glance:

1973 – “The Russians are here”

On October 1, 1973, the CEO of Ruhrgas AG, Herbert Schelberger, pressed a button – for the first time gas flowed from the former Soviet Union to the Federal Republic. “The Russians are here,” is the headline in Die Zeit. In the course of the 1970s, further supply agreements are added, and the gas transit system is expanded – including through Ukraine.

1981 – Yamal pipeline despite opposition from the US

Under the impact of the oil crises of 1973 and 1979/80, the West’s dependence on oil supplies from the Middle East came into focus. The Foreign Office noted in 1981: The energy partnership with Moscow serves “to reduce our high oil dependency”. In 1981, the western Europeans therefore agreed with Moscow on the construction of the Yamal pipeline – the annual gas supplies are to be doubled to 20 billion cubic meters.

The USA reacted with sanctions, but with little success. At the end of the 1980s, the share of Soviet gas imports in West Germany was almost 50 percent.

1991 – Times change, but gas consumption does not

The collapse of the Soviet Union only put a slight damper on gas deliveries from the Soviet Union – between 1990 and 1992 their share of German gas imports fell from 49 to 40 percent. From 1993 it increases slightly again.

2005 – Nord Stream 1

The red-green government under SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder signs a declaration of intent to build the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline. The pipeline is intended to bring Russian gas through the Baltic Sea to Germany – without detours. Russia saves on transit fees and robs existing transit countries of their influence. The pipeline will go into operation in 2011.

2015 – Memorandum of Understanding Nord Stream 2 and sale of the gas storage facilities

The government of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) signs a declaration of intent for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. In the same year, a Gazprom subsidiary buys a quarter of all gas storage facilities in Germany.

February 22, 2022 – North Stream 2 stopped

When Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin recognized the sovereignty of the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) pulled the emergency brake on February 22: the long-controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 will not be put into operation.

February 24, 2022 – Ukraine War begins

On February 24, Russia attacks Ukraine – gas and oil prices on the international markets explode. In 2021, Russia supplied almost 40 percent of European natural gas; in addition to Germany, member states such as Italy, Austria and Hungary are particularly dependent.

April 2022 – Gas deliveries to various countries stopped

On April 27, Russia will turn off the gas supply to EU member states Bulgaria and Poland. On May 21, the Kremlin also cut off gas supplies to Finland. The Netherlands and Denmark also no longer receive gas from Russia because they refuse to pay in rubles.

April 2022 – Concern about German gas storage facilities

Ironically, the largest German gas storage facility in Rehden is in the hands of Gazprom Germania, a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. The federal government places the company in Germany under trusteeship.

June 2022 – Pressure on Europe is growing

In mid-June, it will also hit Germany: the Russian state-owned company Gazprom is reducing gas deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline to a volume of around 40 percent. The company gives technical problems as the reason, the federal government considers this to be a pretext. With the start of maintenance work on Nord Stream 1 on July 11, the gas flow comes to a complete standstill.

July 2022 – The uncertainty remains

With the completion of the maintenance work on July 21, Russia is again supplying gas through Nord Stream 1 – but as recently, only with a capacity utilization of around 40 percent. The “political uncertainty” remains “unfortunately,” explains the head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller.

by Felix Hoffmann, AFP

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Russia’s president calls for Western sanctions to be lifted. In the meantime, gas delivery through Nord Stream 1 has started again after the maintenance work. All voices and developments on the Ukraine war here in the ticker.