Out of service. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines linking Russia with Germany under the Baltic Sea were affected this week by spectacular leaks preceded by underwater explosions.
The three large leaks identified since September 26 off the Danish island of Bornholm, between southern Sweden and Poland, are visible on the surface with bubbles ranging from 200 meters to a kilometer in diameter, the army announced on Tuesday. Danish, supporting images.
Objects of geopolitical confrontation in recent months, the two pipelines operated by a consortium dependent on the Russian giant Gazprom are no longer operational due to the consequences of the war in Ukraine. But they were full of gas.
The damage caused was verified on the same day as the inauguration of a gas pipeline between Norway and Poland, the Baltic Pipe. this new gas pipeline with a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year was built to reduce the dependence of Europeans on Russian gas.
• Why have the two gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea been leaking since Monday?
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline suffered a sharp drop in pressure for the first time on September 26, followed a few hours later by the Nord Stream 1, whose route continues under the Baltic. Shortly before these leaks, the Swedish seismic institute recorded underwater explosions, “probably due to detonations”. This phenomenon has been confirmed by Norwegian and Swedish scientists.
• Who is responsible for the explosions?
The accidental cause of these explosions was quickly ruled out as unlikely. The three explosions with a power equivalent to 6 tons of TNT occurred in international waters within minutes of each other in the two gas pipelines at a depth of 70 to 100 meters. For Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, “these are deliberate acts. We are not talking about an accident.”
This opinion is shared by the resignation of the Swedish prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, for whom “it is probably sabotage”. Even the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke in a message posted on Twitter of an “act of sabotage”.
It remains to be seen who could have sabotaged these facilities and who would have an interest in cutting these pipelines. No one has claimed responsibility for the explosions. For Ulrich Bounat, geopolitical analyst and specialist in Central and Eastern Europe, few countries have the capacity to commit these acts. And all eyes are on Moscow.
For its part, the Kremlin refutes its responsibility and said it was “extremely concerned”, considering that “no” hypothesis should be ruled out, including sabotage, without giving more details about its origin. The advisor to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhaïlo Podoliak, denounces it as “a planned terrorist attack” by Moscow, however, without providing evidence.
For its part, Washington is reserved. The Americans refuse to “confirm” an act of sabotage. A way of not directly accusing Russia of being responsible for it.
• Europe’s response
If Europe considers that it can only be a deliberate act, it remains cautious about its origin and its author. “It is paramount to investigate the incidents and shed light on the facts… Any deliberate disruption of Europe’s active energy infrastructure is unacceptable and will result in the strongest possible response,” Ursula von der Leyen said cautiously.
The European Union warned this Wednesday against any attack on its energy infrastructure in a statement issued by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
• What are the two Nord Stream pipelines for and who owns them?
These pipelines were installed by Russia to transport its gas to Germany through international waters in order to stop paying transit fees to the countries through which the land pipelines pass. Druzhba passes through Ukraine and Hungary. Yamal passes through Belarus and Poland.
At 1,230 kilometers long, Nord Stream 1 connects Vyborg in Russia with Greifswald in Germany, crossing the Baltic Sea. It has been in operation since 2012 and annually supplies Germany with 55 billion cubic meters, which is about half of the national consumption. It also supplies gas to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. It was shut down this summer by Russia, which is undergoing maintenance operations.
Nord Stream 2 is the twin of Nord Stream 1 and was installed to double the annual capacity of the pipeline to 110 billion cubic meters. It measures 1,234 kilometers and connects the town of Bolshoi Kuziomkino, in the Russian region of Saint Petersburg, with Lumbin, a coastal city in northern Germany. Its construction was financed by Gazprom with European energy companies, including a French one: OMV, Engie, Wintershall Dea, Uniper and Shell.
In February, at the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz announced the suspension of the certification procedure for this gas pipeline. This label is imposed by the German regulator in order to deliver gas to the West. Initially, this process was expected to be completed before spring 2022.
• What consequences for Europe?
The two gas pipelines were not operational but the explosions destroy the possibility of a negotiation to deliver gas to Europe this winter. According to Denmark, it will be “a week or two” before the damaged pipelines can be inspected.
Meanwhile, even when the Nord Stream pipelines were not supplying, Europe had never bought so much Russian gas. Since the beginning of the year, imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivered by ship by Russia have increased by 13%, according to data from the International Group of LNG Importers (GIIGNL). They already amounted to 11 million tons at the end of August. They should far exceed the level of Russian LNG imports in 2021, which was 13 million tons.
This gas comes from the Yamal gas field, operated by France’s TotalEnergies and its Russian partner Novatek.
Today, Russia accounts for around 12% of Europe’s LNG supplies. This gas reaches Europe through LNG terminals in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain. “In part, the gas is returned to Germany, which urgently needs it,” explains an industrial source.
The decommissioning of the Nord Stream pipelines has pushed up natural gas prices in Europe. Yesterday, the Dutch TTF futures contract, the benchmark for natural gas in Europe, was trending higher, jumping around 10% to €191,390 per megawatt hour (MWh).
On the oil side, prices have also risen again. A barrel of North Sea Brent oil for November delivery rose 1.52% to $85.34. A barrel of American West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in the same month rose 1.47% to $77.84.
• Ecological consequences?
Navigation within a radius of five nautical miles (about nine kilometers) around the three leaks was prohibited, as was their overflight within a radius of one kilometer. According to the Danish authorities, the incidents have no consequences for the safety or health of local residents. The direct environmental impact should also be limited, although unburned natural gas has a powerful greenhouse effect.
Source: BFM TV
