German leader says gas pipeline part is ready for Russia

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has inspected a mechanical turbine at the center of a natural gas dispute with Russia. Scholz declared Wednesday (Aug. 3, 2022) “there are no problems” with the part besides information from Russia’s state-controlled gas company. Russian energy giant Gazprom last week halved the amount of natural gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20% of capacity, citing delays with the turbine’s repair and delivery. But Scholz insisted the needed part was is ready to be shipped to Russia at any time. German partner Siemens Energy earlier this year sent the turbine to Canada for an overhaul. Right now it’s stored at a Siemens facility in western Germany.