Europe Looks To Fill Storage As It Braces For Permanent Halt Of Russian Gas

When Gazprom suspended the flow of gas earlier this month via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the European Union—and Germany, specifically—braced for a permanent halt in that flow. The deterioration in relations between Brussels, Berlin, and Moscow made such a halt a distinct possibility, but Gazprom restarted the flow of gas following the end of planned maintenance on July 21. Days later, it said it would reduce these flows to 20 percent of capacity. Meanwhile, the EU is trying to fill its gas storage ahead of winter. It may fail to reach…