Key gas pipeline from Russia to Europe restarts after break

BERLIN (AP) — Natural gas started flowing through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe on Thursday after a 10-day shutdown for maintenance, the operator said. But the gas flow was expected to fall well short of full capacity.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany had been closed since July 11 for annual maintenance work. Amid growing tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, German officials had feared that the pipeline — the country’s main source of Russian gas, which has accounted for around a third of Germany’s gas supplies — might not reopen at all.

Operator Nord Stream AG said that gas was flowing again Thursday morning, German news agency dpa reported.

However, Russia’s Gazprom notified deliveries Thursday of only about 30% of the pipeline's capacity, the head of Germany’s network regulator, Klaus Mueller, said on Twitter.

In mid-June, Russia’s state-owned Gazprom had already cut the flow to 40% of capacity. It cited alleged technical problems involving equipment that partner Siemens Energy sent to Canada for overhaul and couldn’t be returned because of sanctions imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. German officials have rejected that explanation.