Nord Stream 1 and the mostly defunct Nord Stream 2, the major pipelines transporting natural gas from Russia to Europe have developed issues. While the first one reported leaks, the second saw sudden drop in pressure overnight. Hint of sabotage has deepened the mystery surrounding the leaks. The two pipelines have been at the centre of geopolitical tension in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Denmark was the first to report the Nord Stream 1 pipeline leak. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said it was ‘hard to imagine’ that the leak was accidental.
“It’s an unusual situation, to have three leaks a distance from each other. That’s why it’s hard to imagine that it’s accidental”, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish media during a visit to Poland.
Watch | Putin to Europe: If you want gas then open Nord Stream 2
Swedish Maritime Authority had raised flag as well at the time of the leaks.
“There are two leaks on Nord Stream 1 – one in Swedish economic zone and one in Danish economic zone. They are very near each other,” a Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) spokesperson told Reuters. The spokesperson said that the leaks were located northeast of Bornholm, the Danish island.
Authorities in Denmark on Monday (September 26) asked ships to avoid sailing into the five nautical mile radius southeast of Bornholm.
Meanwhile, authorities in Germany were scrambling to find out what caused the sudden drop in pressure in Nord Stream 2. A spokesperson for the pipeline said it is likely a leak. The operator said pressure in the undersea pipeline dropped from 105 to 7 bar overnight.
Kremlin has hinted that it thinks sabotage was the cause of the leak. Asked if sabotage was the reason for the damage, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “No option can be ruled out right now.”
The European Commission, however, has said that it was premature to speculate on the cause of leaks.
“Obviously any act of sabotage on any infrastructure is something that we we would condemn,” EU Commission chief spokesman Eric Mamer told a regular news briefing.
Nord Streams pipelines are designed to bring gas from Western Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula directly to Germany, Europe’s biggest economy. The pipelines were in focus in the wake of breaking out of Ukraine war. Russia has been leveraging its position as major gas supplier to Europe to retaliate against economic sanctions put by Western countries. 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 February 24.
(With inputs from agencies)
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