Germany calls for lower consumption as Nord Stream turns off gas tap further

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/

BERLIN (Reuters) -Gas flows through Nord Stream 1 fell to a fifth of the pipeline's capacity on Wednesday, prompting Germany's network regulator to issue another plea to households and industry to save gas and avoid rationing.

The cut in flows comes two days after the pipeline's majority owner Gazprom (MCX:GAZP) flagged further reductions in deliveries, the latest painful blow to Europe's top economy which still largely depends on the fuel.

Klaus Mueller, head of Germany's Bundesnetzagentur regulator, said Germany could still avoid a gas shortage that would require it to trigger the next phase of an emergency plan that would prompt rationing.

But he said it would require efforts by both industry and consumers to reduce gas usage.

"The crucial thing is to save gas," Mueller said. "I would like to hear less complaints but reports (from industries saying) we as a sector are contributing to this," he told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

Gas grid operator Gascade said that 1.28 million cubic metres per hour, or about 20% of Nord Stream's maximum capacity, has been transported via Nord Stream 1 in accordance with nominations since 0800 CET.

Uniper, Germany's largest importer of Russian gas, also said that it received only a fifth of agreed volumes from Gazprom. The company has said it will likely launch legal steps against its Russian supplier.

Germany is currently at Phase 2 of a three-stage emergency gas plan, with the latest "emergency" phase to be launched once rationing can no longer be avoided.

"If you asked me whether it (a gas shortage) is imminent, then I would say that if flows remain at 20% and if we can still add to storage facilities in the coming days and weeks, then we do not yet have a physical gas shortage, which would be the prerequisite for Phase 3," Mueller said.