Wed, September 28, 2022
The Nord Stream could become completely unusable after an incident in the Baltic Sea
According to the publication's sources, if the damaged lines are not repaired swiftly, the pipeline can be destroyed by a large amount of salt water, which will cause corrosion.
Read also: Nearly simultaneous leaks in Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines ‘could be sabotage’
Only one line of the Nord Stream-2 pipeline remains intact.
In response to the accident, the German Federal Police is strengthening control over German sovereign waters. Also, German states will step up the protection of the coastal areas of the North and Baltic Seas.
The European Commission, German law enforcement agencies, and the German Federal Intelligence Service have assumed that the pipeline damages are a deliberate act of sabotage.
Due to the complexity of the attack, experts believe that it could only be carried out by a state actor, the newspaper writes.
Read also: Europe can win Putin’s gas war but must learn Nord Stream lessons
According to one version, divers could have planted explosives in both lines of Nord Stream 1 and one of the two lines of Nord Stream-2, which is not yet operational.
Tagesspiegel notes that the isolated explosions indicate that the leak is huge and the rate of pressure drop in the pipeline is correspondingly high.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned of the possibility of further attacks on critical energy infrastructure.
Following the decompression of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream-2, which was reported on Sept. 26, gas pressure plummeted along both lines of Nord Stream-1.
Read also: EU calls Nord Stream gas leaks sabotage
Nord Stream AG said that the simultaneous destruction of three gas lines in the Baltic Sea is unprecedented and it is not yet possible to estimate the timing of the restoration of the gas transport infrastructure.
Two underwater explosions that occurred on the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 pipelines were confirmed on Sept. 27.
According to German newspaper Spiegel, citing its sources in the German government, a few weeks ago the U.S. intelligence services had warned Germany about possible attacks on gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
The Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline was completed in 2021 and filled with technical gas, but it did not receive certification before the full-scale invasion, and thus was never operational.
The Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline was stopped for maintenance at the end of August and did not resume operation, due to Russian interference.
Tue, September 27, 2022
(This content was produced in Russia where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine) (Adds detail)
MOSCOW, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Three offshore lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system on the bed of the Baltic Sea sustained "unprecedented" damage in one day, Nord Stream AG, the operator of the network, said on Tuesday.
The bulletin was published after Sweden's Maritime Authority issued a warning about two leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, shortly after a leak on the nearby Nord Stream 2 pipeline was discovered that prompted Denmark to restrict shipping in a five nautical mile radius.
Nord Stream AG said it was impossible to estimate when the gas network system's working capability would be restored.
"The destruction that occurred on the same day simultaneously on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system is unprecedented. It is not yet possible to estimate the timing of the restoration of the gas transport infrastructure," it said in comments to reporters.
Nord Stream 1, which consists of two parallel lines with nameplate capacity of 27.5 billion cubic metres per year each, started supplying gas directly from Russia to Germany in 2011.
Flows via the pipeline, which had been working at only 20% of its capacity since July, were halted at the end of August and were not relaunched following maintenance.
Russia blames faulty equipment at a key compressor station and Western sanctions over Ukraine for its idling.
Nord Stream 2, which runs almost in parallel to Nord Stream 1, was built in September 2021 but was never launched as Germany refused to certify it. The project was halted altogether just days before Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Louise Heavens and Jan Harvey)
Denmark, Germany and Poland caution of ‘sabotage’ after Nord Stream leakages
Suspicious leakages in 2 Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea are most likely the outcome of sabotage, authorities in Denmark, Germany and Poland have actually cautioned, increasing issues over the vulnerability of Europe’s energy facilities.
Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen stated sabotage might not be dismissed as the reason for leakages in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which have actually been at the centre of the energy dispute in between Russia and Europe.
“It is too early to conclude yet, but it is an extraordinary situation,” she stated. “There are three leaks and therefore it is difficult to imagine that it could be accidental.”
She later on stated there was no increased military risk to her nation. “These are deliberate actions, not an accident,” she included.
German authorities revealed issue that the unexpected loss of pressure in both pipelines might be the outcome of a “targeted attack”. They included that Russia’s participation might “not be excluded”, however stated Germany was not associated with the examination being run by Denmark and Sweden.
United States nationwide security consultant Jake Sullivan and secretary of state Antony Blinken talked to their Danish equivalents on Tuesday about the suspicious leakages of the pipelines, which Sullivan referred to as “apparent sabotage”.
“The US is supporting efforts to investigate and we will continue our work to safeguard Europe’s energy security,” Sullivan later on composed on Twitter.
Ned Price, United States state department representative, likewise explained the attacks as “apparent sabotage” in a declaration late on Tuesday.
Price stated Blinken talked to Denmark’s foreign minister Jeppe Kofod, including: “The United States remains united with our allies and partners in our commitment to promoting European energy security.”
The leaks come as Russian gas supplies to Europe have dwindled as part of President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to hinder assistance for Ukraine. The leakages, which will not straight impact Russian gas streams due to the fact that the pipelines were not running, accompanied the inauguration of a pipeline that will provide Norwegian gas through Denmark to Poland for the very first time.
“We don’t know all the details of what happened, but we see clearly that it’s an act of sabotage related to the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine,” stated Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Reuters reported.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a consultant to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, composed on Twitter: “‘Gas leak’ from NS-1 is nothing more than a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression towards [the] EU. Russia wants to destabilise [the] economic situation in Europe . . . The best response and security investment — tanks for Ukraine. Especially German ones.”
Asked if sabotage was the reason for the leakage, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov informed press reporters that “no version can be excluded now”, Russian company Interfax reported. “Obviously, the pipe has been damaged somehow. What the cause was — before the results of the investigation appear — no version can be excluded,” he included.
Sweden’s maritime administration on Tuesday reported 2 leakages in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. That report came hours after Denmark’s energy company stated there was a different leakage, likewise near Bornholm, in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which Germany efficiently cancelled soon prior to Russia’s major intrusion of Ukraine.
Nord Stream 2 had actually been filled with Russian gas at the end of in 2015 in preparation for its scheduled start-up, while Nord Stream 1 was carrying gas to Germany as just recently as the start of this month.
Danish authorities stated the gas bubbles in the Baltic Sea determined about 1km in size. Sweden and Denmark cautioned ships to prevent the location.
Sweden’s National Seismology Centre stated it had actually identified 2 effective blasts the day previously in the location of the gas leakages. “There is no doubt that these were explosions,” Björn Lund, a member of the seismic network, informed Swedish state broadcaster SVT.
Terje Aasland, Norway’s oil and energy minister, stated that as the leakages looked like sabotage, the nation was paying very close attention to security, on the day that it opened a gas pipeline to Poland.
Norway’s petroleum security authority had actually cautioned on Monday that numerous oil and gas business had actually just recently suffered unknown drones near their overseas centers. In June, a Russian warship two times broke Danish territorial waters near Bornholm.
Energy experts stated it was unclear who would stand to take advantage of the leakages at a time when neither line was functional. But some presumed a connection to the brand-new gas pipeline link. Frederiksen remained in Poland on Tuesday for the opening event.
“The leak on Nord Stream 2 is very close to the new Baltic pipe that will bring Norwegian gas to Poland for the first time . . . so there’s some heavy symbolism,” stated Tom Marzec-Manser at energy consultancy ICIS. “For EU gas imports, it’s a new dawn for Norway and twilight for Russia.”
Ukraine has actually long opposed the Nord Stream pipelines, arguing that they were developed to damage its position as one of the primary avenues for Russian gas into Europe. Russian gas has actually continued to stream through Ukraine even after the intrusion, however Moscow stopped products through Nord Stream 1 last month, magnifying Europe’s energy crisis.
James Huckstepp at S&P Global Platts stated the leakages increased unpredictability in the energy market. “The probability of Nord Stream 1 coming back before the end of the year has essentially dropped from 1 per cent to zero per cent,” he stated. “But there remain concerns about the remaining gas flows through Ukraine and whether they could see reductions later this year.”
Henning Gloystein at Eurasia Group stated the pipelines “are designed to avert accidental damage”. But he included: “Given both lines were still pressured and each has the capacity to pipe around 165mn cubic metres of methane-heavy gas a day, leaks of this size are a severe safety and environmental hazard.”
Nord Stream, the pipelines’ Swiss-based operator whose bulk investor is Russian state-owned energy business Gazprom, stated the events were “unprecedented”, however recommended the majority of the dripping methane would liquify in the water.
What is known so far about the
Nord Stream gas pipeline leak
By Nina Chestney
LONDON (Reuters) - Three unexplained gas leaks detected in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany have prompted the European Union and Russia to point at sabotage.
Here is a breakdown of what is known so far:
WHAT HAPPENED?
The operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline reported a sudden drop in pressure overnight on Monday, with a spokesperson suggesting there could have been a leak.
This was followed by a Danish Energy Authority statement that a leak had likely occurred in one of the two Nord Stream 2 pipelines lying in Danish waters.
A few hours later, Nord Stream AG, operator of another undersea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, said it was looking into a drop in pressure in Nord Stream 1.
Sweden's Maritime Authority said on Tuesday it had warned of two leaks on Nord Stream 1 in Swedish and Danish waters.
Each line of the pipeline consists of about 100,000 24-tonne concrete-weight coated steel pipes laid on the seabed. The pipelines have a constant internal diameter of 1.153 metres, according to Nord Stream.
Sections lie at a depth of around 80-110 metres.
WHERE ARE THE LEAKS?
Two leaks were detected on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which stopped delivering gas to Europe last month, both in an area northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm.
A leak was also detected on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has yet to enter commercial operations, in the same area.
Danish authorities have asked ships to stay clear by a five nautical mile radius off Bornholm. The plan to use Nord Stream 2 to supply gas was scrapped by Germany days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February.
Both pipelines still contain gas under pressure.
WHAT CAUSED THE LEAKS?
It is not yet clear. Analysts and experts say such leaks are very rare and Nord Stream AG has called leaks on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines "unprecedented".
However, the European Union believes sabotage probably caused the leaks, Josep Borrell was reported as saying by German broadcaster ntv, echoing views aired by Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The EU has not named a potential perpetrator or suggested a reason behind it.
On Wednesday Moscow said claims that Russia was somehow behind a possible attack on the pipelines were stupid, adding that Moscow saw a sharp increase the profits of U.S. companies supplying gas to Europe.
A day earlier the Kremlin had said it did not rule out sabotage as a reason behind the damage and it was an issue affecting the energy security of the "entire continent".
Seismologists in Denmark and Sweden said they had registered two powerful blasts on Monday in the vicinity of the leaks and the explosions were in the water, not under the seabed.
WHO IS INVESTIGATING?
Armed forces, coast guards, maritime authories, energy agencies and police from counties such as Sweden, Germany and Denmark are all carrying out investigations.
Sweden's Prosecution Authority said it will review material from a police investigation into the damage to the pipelines and decide on further action.
Denmark's defence minister has had a meeting with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, adding it might take a week or perhaps two before the areas around the damaged pipelines were calm enough to be investigated.
POTENTIAL IMPACT?
Denmark's armed forces said the largest gas leak had caused a surface disturbance of well over 1 kilometre (0.6 mile) in diameter, while agencies issued warnings to shipping to avoid the area.
Although neither pipeline was in operation, they both contained natural gas - which is largely composed of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is the second biggest cause of climate change after CO2.
This has raised fears that the disruption could cause a climate calamity - although to what extent is still unclear.
Norway has said it will strengthen security at its oil and gas installations in the wake of the leaks and reports of drone activities in the North Sea and Danish authorities asked that the level of preparedness in its power and gas sector be raised.
(Reporting by Nina Chestney and Reuters bureaux; Editing by Alexander Smith, Alexandra Hudson)
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