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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Authorities on Tuesday tried to pinpoint the source of a mysterious leak and pressure drop in a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea when a leak from Russian gas to Poland A new pipeline has been developed that aims to separate Europe from the start.
Neither of the Nord Streams 1 and 2 pipelines carried gas from Russia in the energy conflict with Europe caused by the Ukrainian invasion. But both are filled with natural gas and are used to heat homes, generate electricity, and run factories.
Officials said the leak would not pose a threat to energy supplies given that Russia does not supply gas, and experts said the environmental impact would be limited.
Danish authorities announced Monday that a leak has been detected in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has never been used. They were later informed that pressure on Nord Stream 1, which until recently had been an important German gas supply, had dropped significantly.
The Swedish Maritime Authority said on Tuesday that two leaks had been found in the Nordstream 1 pipeline, which runs partly in Swedish waters. Danish authorities also confirmed the leak.
The Danish Maritime Authority has set up a no-go zone with the aim of issuing a navigational warning and discouraging ships from sailing near the leak. Danish officials said ships could lose buoyancy once they entered the area, and there was also the risk of fires on the water or in the air. Swedish authorities have issued similar warnings.
Pipeline leaks have been detected northeast and southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm.
According to Danish media, Danish Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen said: “The authorities and the government are monitoring the situation closely.”
The German economy ministry said it was investigating the cause of the pressure drop at Nord Stream 1, adding: “At present, the reason for the pressure drop is not known.”
The pipeline has been at the center of an energy war between Europe and Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in late February. Declining gas supplies in Russia have sent energy prices skyrocketing, causing distress to many across Europe and causing fears about the coming winter, prompting governments to ease the pain of their citizens’ very high bills. I’m applying pressure.
Across Europe, countries are struggling to find other gas sources, starting from different positions. For example, after years of working to find other sources of supply, including imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and the Middle East, Poland was already on track when the war began to unleash Russian gas. Germany, by contrast, has struggled to build LNG terminals quickly.
An important project for energy security is the Baltic Sea Pipeline, a pipeline that carries Norwegian gas from Denmark along the Baltic Sea to Poland. It will be launched in northern Poland on Tuesday by officials from Poland, Denmark and Norway.
Of the two pipelines hit by the leak, Nord Stream 2 has never been operational, and Nord Stream 1 was carrying gas to Germany until this month, when Russian energy giant Gazprom said it was under urgent maintenance work. Suspended supply, claiming it was necessary.
Gazprom’s explanation of the technical problem was rejected by German authorities as a cover for a political power play to raise prices and spread uncertainty.
Nord Stream 2 was already completed when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stopped certification on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany has relied heavily on natural gas supplies from Russia, while Berlin has sought other sources of energy.
Germany and other parts of Europe have been stockpiling gas in recent weeks, despite fears of winter shortages.
The German economy ministry said it “does not see any impact on supply security”, citing pressure drop in Nord Stream 1. Already. Storage levels continue to rise steadily. Currently it is about 91%. “
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Contributed by Associated Press writers Kirsten Grieshaber from Berlin and Monika Scislowska and Vanessa Gera from Warsaw.
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