Europe gets a huge amount of its energy from natural gas.

It uses it to power everything from factories to homes, and its main supplier for that

natural gas is Russia.

But now Russia has turned off the spigot.

It throttled the Nord Stream pipeline.

The main way Europe gets the natural gas.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline was unexpectedly shut on Saturday.

The Kremlin says western sanctions forced their hands and said that the shutdown would

be long lasting.

The Kremlin says deliveries will only be resumed if western sanctions on Russia are lifted.

It's a situation Europe has feared ever since Russia first invaded Ukraine earlier this

year.

Europe's big fear once the war broke out was that Russia would use its really dominant

position as Europe's main gas applied to interfere with the economy.

The Nord Stream is called Joe Wallace.

He covers energy markets from London.

He says the Nord Stream shutdown is sending natural gas prices in Europe's store and forcing

countries there to scramble.

Casting off the natural gas to Europe through Nord Stream creates a massive problem for the

winter, for a lot of European industry, and a lot of pain for households and real people.

Welcome to the journal, our show about money, business and power.

I'm Ryan Kudutsen.

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