Mysterious leaks affect Russian Nord Stream gas pipelines: was there sabotage? Who would benefit? This is what we know

() — Several European countries were investigating unexplained leaks Tuesday at two Russian gas pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, which run under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark, infrastructure at the center of an energy crisis since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Several European officials said sabotage appeared to be the likely cause, while Russia, which built the network, did not rule it out.

Norwegian Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland said on Tuesday that initial information received about the leaks indicated “acts of sabotage.” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and her Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen said the incident was likely “deliberate” but downplayed the possibility of a military threat.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “No option can be ruled out at this time.”

Both pipelines have been flashpoints in a widening energy war between European capitals and Moscow that has battered major Western economies, sent gas prices soaring and sparked a search for alternative energy supplies.

According to the gas pipeline operator Nord Stream AG, it is currently not possible to estimate “a time frame for restoring the gas transportation infrastructure”.

In a statement late Tuesday, he added that pressure drops in the pipeline suggested physical damage had occurred.

German, Danish and Scandinavian security authorities were closely watching the leaks into the Baltic Sea and investigating their cause, according to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who also said German energy supplies had not been affected.

Earlier in the day, the Swedish Maritime Authority had issued a warning about two leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, shortly after a leak was discovered in the nearby Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

A series of leaks

None of the pipelines were pumping gas to Europe at the time the leaks were found, but the incidents will dash any remaining hope that Europe could receive gas via Nord Stream 1 before winter.

“The destruction that occurred on the same day simultaneously in three offshore pipeline chains of the Nord Stream system is unprecedented,” network operator Nord Stream AG said. “It is not yet possible to estimate the timing of the restoration of the gas transportation infrastructure.”

Although neither was in operation, both pipelines still contained pressurized gas.

Danish Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said in a written comment that a gas leak had been detected in Nord Stream 2 on Monday between Russia and Denmark.

Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled company with a monopoly on Russian pipeline gas exports, declined to comment.

Russia cut gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before halting flows entirely in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. European politicians say that was a pretext to stop supplying gas.

The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had not yet entered commercial operations. The plan to use it to supply gas was scrapped by Germany days before Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that any deliberate act to disrupt Europe’s energy infrastructure was “unacceptable and would “lead to the strongest possible response.”

‘Who would benefit?’

Experts also agreed that the damage could be intentional.

Jakub Godzimirski, a research professor at the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Affairs who specializes in Russian energy policy, said the leaks could have been technical glitches, but added that sabotage was a possibility.

“There are some indications that this is deliberate damage,” a European security source said, adding that it was still too early to draw any conclusions. “One has to ask: Who would benefit?”

The leaks occurred just before Tuesday’s ceremonial launch of the Baltic Pipe carrying gas from Norway to Poland, a centerpiece of Warsaw’s efforts to diversify beyond Russian supplies.

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) urged oil companies on Monday to be on the lookout for unidentified drones seen flying near Norway’s offshore oil and gas platforms, warning of potential attacks.

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A spokesman for the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) said there were two leaks in Nord Stream 1, one in the Swedish economic zone and one in the Danish zone, adding that both leaks were in an area northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. .

“We are keeping extra vigilance to make sure no ships get too close to the site,” a second SMA spokesman said.

Vessels could lose buoyancy if they enter the area, and there could be a risk of the leaked gas igniting above the water and in the air, the Danish energy agency said, adding there were no safety risks associated with leaking out. from the exclusion zone.

Seismologists detected explosions in an area near the Nord Stream pipelines on Monday, however it is not clear if those events were connected to the pipelines.

The leak would only affect the environment locally, meaning only the area where the plume of gas is in the water column would be affected, he said, adding that the escape of greenhouse gas methane would have an impact. harmful in the weather.

Danish authorities called for Denmark’s preparedness level for the power and gas sector to be raised after the leaks, a step that would require heightened safety procedures for electrical installations and facilities.

“Gas pipeline failures happen very rarely… We want to ensure comprehensive monitoring of Denmark’s critical infrastructure to strengthen security of supply in the future,” said the head of the Danish energy agency, Kristoffer Bottzauw.

‘s Arnaud Siad, Sharon Braithwaite, Henrik Pettersson, Livvy Doherty and Robert North contributed to this report.

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