EU tells members to cut gas usage amid Putin warning

Brussels/London: The EU told member states on Wednesday to cut gas usage by 15% until March as an emergency step after President Vladimir Putin warned that Russian supplies sent via the biggest pipeline to Europe could be reduced further and might even stop.

Deliveries via Nord Stream 1, which accounts for more than a third of Russian gas exports to the EU, are due to resume on Thursday after a 10-day halt for annual maintenance. German gas network operator Gascade said on Wednesday it expects flows to resume at pre-maintenance levels based on current requests for gas. On July 10, the last full day before maintenance on the pipeline started, flows stood at around 698 GWh. Supplies via the route had been reduced even before the maintenance outage in a dispute over sanctions, and may now be cut further, while flows via other routes, such as Ukraine, have also fallen since Russia invaded its neighbour in February.