Russian energy giant PJSC Gazprom explained on Monday on its Telegram account that the detected oil leak in the Portovaya compressor station led the company to halt its operations as it could cause "explosions and fires in the volume of industrial buildings, structures and outdoor installations."
"Further operation of this gas-pumping unit without eliminating the identified defects creates a risk of fire or explosion, that is, it affects the industrial safety of the entire station," Gazprom wrote.
Gazprom refused to accept Siemens Energy AG's protests that the Nord Stream 1 operations shouldn't have been completely frozen over such an event, stating that the station is classified as "a hazardous production facility" and as such needs to abide by the law "to ensure the explosion safety" as in the current state it "contradicts the requirements of Russian legislation."