Berlin, Aug 31 (IANS): Russian gas deliveries to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline stopped on Wednesday morning as planned, according to pipeline operator Nord Stream AG.

The Nord Stream AG website said no significant volume of gas flowed through the pipeline between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., reports dpa news agency.

The volume of gas deliveries had already dropped in the previous hour.

Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom gave advance warning that gas deliveries would be temporarily suspended on Wednesday due to maintenance work, with deliveries due to resume early Saturday morning.

The head of Germany's energy regulator the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, has cast doubt on the veracity of the maintenance work claim.

In recent weeks, as little as 20 per cent of the maximum possible gas delivery volume has been delivered through the pipeline.

Gazprom has repeatedly cited technical reasons for the sharp decrease in deliveries.

The German government has publicly questioned the claim.