'The turbine works': Germany's Scholz points finger at Russia in energy row

MUELHEIM AN DER RUHR, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday blamed Moscow for delays in the return of gas turbine for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that had been serviced in Canada but has since been stranded in Germany in an escalating energy standoff.

"The turbine works," Scholz said during a factory visit to Siemens Energy in Muelheim an der Ruhr.

"It (the turbine) can be transported and used at any time," he said. "The non-fulfilment of the gas supply contracts has no technical reasons whatsoever," the chancellor added.

European governments have accused Russia of throttling gas supplies on spurious pretexts in revenge for Western sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow denies doing so and cited issues with the turbine as the reason for lower gas flows through Nord Stream 1.

A senior manager at Russian gas giant Gazprom said that delivery of the turbine to Germany from Canada after the maintenance work had been completed was not in line with the contract.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz, writing by Kirsti Knolle and Matthias Williams; Editing by Madeline Chambers)