Prices have spiked amid a further Russian squeeze on gas supplies, with key pipeline Nord Stream 1 now operating at just 20 percent capacity. It is also scheduled for maintenance later this month, raising the prospect of further cuts or a halt in supplies altogether. EU states have been struggling with huge energy price hikes since key gas supplier Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The Kremlin has retaliated to Western sanctions targeting seaborne oil shipments and coal imports by blocking gas into over a dozen EU countries. Related: TotalEnergies Denies Accusations That It Supplied Fuel To Russian Army This has exacerbated reduced energy production in Norway amid droughts, and France's slump in nuclear power generation. Germany was the largest importer of Russian gas in 2020, and has been racing to bolster its gas reserves before winter despite Russia cutting deliveries.