Post-outage Nord Stream gas flows unknown, says German regulator

"As expected, Nord Stream 1 is at zero since this morning," said Klaus Mueller, head of the Bundesnetzagentur. "What happens at the end of the maintenance, nobody is able to say at this moment.

Germany is in the dark about how much gas Russia will pump through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after the end of a 10-day maintenance shutdown that started on Monday, Germany's energy regulator told Reuters. Governments, markets, and companies worry that the shutdown might be extended because of the war in Ukraine, which has triggered an economic standoff between the West and Russia and fears of gas shortages and soaring energy bills.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline transports 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year of gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Maintenance lasts from July 11 to 21. "As expected, Nord Stream 1 is at zero since this morning," said Klaus Mueller, head of the Bundesnetzagentur.

"What happens at the end of the maintenance, nobody is able to say at this moment. We won't know any time sooner than a day before its scheduled end." Mueller said that gas consumers have lobbied his agency for priority treatment in the event of potential gas rationing later in the year.

The regulator would base allocation decisions on their social and economic impact and consequences for delivery chains, Mueller said.