Nord Stream 1 and 2 have sprung a number of leaks simultaneously, releasing gas into the environment.
Nord Stream reported pressure drops on both strings of the Nord Stream 1 link on September 26. The company said it was investigating the reasons for the change.
Nord Stream 2 said it had recorded a drop in pressure in Line A overnight. It has informed the authorities of Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia, it said in a statement to Russian news agencies.
The Danish Energy Agency reported a leak on the Nord Stream 2 in Danish Baltic Sea. The Danish Maritime Authority established a no go zone for five nautical miles around the pipeline.
Denmark’s military deployed a frigate, the Absalon, an oil spill ship, the Gunnar Thorson, and a helicopter to inspect the scene this morning.
It reported two leaks on Nord Stream 1 northeast of Bornholm and one leak on Nord Stream 2, south of Dueodde. A Danish Defence F-16 interceptor response unit spotted the leaks.
Billeder fra F-16 af gaslækage i Østersøen. https://t.co/OgCDfcvTjG pic.twitter.com/D5wsoXvuda
— Forsvaret (@forsvaretdk) September 27, 2022
The energy agency said there were no security risks and it would have no impact on security of Danish gas supply.
Sabotage talks
“It is hard to imagine that it is accidental. We cannot rule out sabotage, but it is too early to conclude,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Politiken. The premier was speaking during a visit to Poland to inaugurate the Baltic Pipe, which transports gas from Norway to Denmark and Poland.
Denmark’s Politiken newspaper also reported what appeared to be explosions taking place on September 26. It cited evidence from seismic measuring stations in Sweden and Denmark. An expert told the news agency that there was “no doubt that this was an explosion”.
Authorities in the Danish town of Bornholm have established equipment to measure the concentration of gas in the air. As yet, the police have said, there is no health risk.
Kremlin concerns
Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov expressed concerns around the pressure drop in the Nord Stream lines. He described it as “disturbing news” and “a completely unprecedented situation that requires urgent investigation”, according to Russia’s TASS agency.
It was impossible to rule out sabotage, Peskov continued.
Gazprom halted flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipe in early September, citing maintenance challenges. Both Nord Stream 1 and 2 held gas in the pipes, even though they were not flowing.
According to reports at the end of 2021, Nord Stream 2’s Line B held around 177 million cubic metres of gas.