The Nord Stream pipeline, which distributes Russian gas to the entirety of Europe, has sustained “unprecedented” damage and is currently seeping into the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark, raising suspicions of foul play.
Last night, Sweden’s Maritime Authority issued a warning about two leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, shortly after Denmark restricted shipping in the vicinity due to a leak on the neighboring Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Both pipelines have been flashpoints in the intensifying energy conflict between Europe and Russia in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has destabilized key Western economies and pushed up gas prices.
The events will impede efforts to start or restart commercial operations for either pipeline and have prompted an investigation by Swedish and Danish energy officials.
According to Der Tagesspiegel, a German official source believes the damage was the result of a targeted strike.
The insider stated, “We cannot conceive a scenario that is not a targeted strike.” Everything contradicts a coincidence.
In the meantime, the head of Denmark’s energy agency stated that the government is investigating the leaks, which he cautioned “rarely occur,” lending validity to sabotage rumors.
Since late August, when Moscow stated the pipeline would be shut down for three days for maintenance, Nord Stream 1 has not been delivering Europe with natural gas.
The pipeline was never reopened after the G7 group of advanced economic nations agreed to a price restriction on Russian oil at the beginning of September and moved to prohibit insurance for tankers and shipping companies that helped Moscow sell supplies beyond the quota.
Sweden’s Maritime Authority issued a warning about two leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline (pictured) last night, just after Denmark restricted shipping in the area due to a leak on the neighboring Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
This year, the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline (shown under construction) was completed, but it had not yet begun commercial operations. Germany then abandoned the pipeline project days before Putin invaded Ukraine in February.
This morning, Denmark’s energy minister Dan Jorgensen stated, “Yesterday, a leak was discovered on one of the two gas pipelines between Russia and Denmark, Nord Stream 2.” The pipeline is now leaking natural gas despite not being operational.
He said, “Authorities have been told of two further gas leaks on Nord Stream 1, which is likewise not operational but contains gas.”
Gazprom, the Russian gas behemoth that has a controlling position in Nord Stream AG, the company that owns and manages the pipelines, declined to comment.
Russia reduced gas deliveries to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before cutting flows entirely in August, attributing technical issues to Western sanctions.
European leaders assert that this was an excuse to halt gas deliveries.
The recently built Nord Stream 2 pipeline had not yet begun commercial operations.
Germany abandoned the proposal to sell gas through the pipeline days before Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline has two breaches, one in the Swedish economic zone and the other in the Danish economic zone. According to a spokeswoman for the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA), they are quite close together.
The leaks were situated northeast of the island of Bornholm, according to the spokeswoman.
A second SMA spokeswoman stated, “We are taking extra precautions to ensure that no ship approaches the location too closely.”
After the spills, Danish authorities have requested that the country’s level of preparation for the power and gas sectors be increased.
“Gas pipeline breaches are extremely uncommon… The head of the Danish energy agency, Kristoffer Bottzauw, said, “We aim to ensure rigorous monitoring of Denmark’s vital infrastructure in order to improve future supply security.”
In August, these facilities in Lubmin, northeastern Germany, will collect and transport natural gas from Russia to Germany and the rest of Europe as part of Nord Stream 1.
Putin has maintained the closure of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline since early September, when the G7 group of advanced economic nations imposed a price restriction on Russian oil and prohibited insurance for tankers or transportation companies assisting Moscow in selling supplies beyond the cap.
Companies in the power and gas industries would be required to implement safety measures at, for example, plants, buildings, and installations due to the increased level.
The Danish energy agency cautioned that ships can lose buoyancy if they visit the area impacted by the leaks, and that there is a risk of an explosion over the ocean and in the air.
It was stated that the gas leak would only have a local impact on the environment, meaning that just the area where the gas plume in the water column is would be affected.
The Baltic Pipe, a new underwater pipeline with an annual capacity of 10 billion cubic metres per day supplying Norwegian gas to Poland and neighboring nations, will be opened later today.
The pipeline is viewed as a vital element in Poland’s and other European and Nordic countries’ efforts to diversify away from Russian energy suppliers.