[ad_1]
STOCKHOLM/OSLO—Sweden on Monday sent a submersible to the site of a Russian gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea to investigate an incident that has added new tension to Europe’s energy crisis.
Europe is investigating what caused three pipelines of the Nord Stream network to burst in a suspected breach near Swedish and Danish waters.
Nord Stream, which runs from Russia to Germany, is at the center of a growing gas supply crisis in Europe, which until recently relied heavily on Russian fuel, has seen prices skyrocket.
Several European Union states have launched emergency plans that could lead to rationing as they race for alternative supplies, but the UK faces a ‘significant risk’ of gas shortages this winter. faced with, the regulator said.
“The Coast Guard is responsible for the mission, but we are supporting them with our forces,” Swedish Navy spokesman Jimmy Adamson told Reuters. “We only name HMS Velos, our submarine rescue and submarine vessel.”
Swedish prosecutors said in a press release that they had designated the area as a crime scene.
A Swedish Coast Guard spokesman confirmed by email that there is a 5 nautical mile exclusion zone around the leak.
The Swedish Coast Guard previously said the leak from Node Stream 1 had stopped, but an overflight revealed that gas was still leaking from Node Stream 2, with a 30-meter (32-yard) radius of gas reaching the surface. Suggested to be bubbly.
The Kremlin said on Monday it doubled down on claims that Western countries were responsible for the rupture, allowing the US to raise sales and prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Washington strongly denies any involvement. European countries suspect sabotage but refuse to reveal who is behind it.
Kremlin-controlled Gazprom also said flow could resume on the last remaining intact pipeline of the Nord Stream 2 network.
“If it is decided to start delivery through Line B of Nord Stream 2, the natural gas will be pumped into the pipeline after the integrity of the system has been checked and verified by the regulator,” said Gazprom. increase.
The proposal follows comments from Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister on Sunday that the Nord Stream network could be rehabilitated given time and sufficient funds.
Norway sends soldiers
The Nord Stream has become a flashpoint in the energy conflict between the West and Moscow that has devastated the Western economy and fueled a cost of living crisis.
Russia has steadily reduced the flow of gas through Nord Stream 1 this year, citing technical problems caused by Western sanctions, and stopped it altogether at the end of August. European countries said Moscow is using energy as a weapon.
Shocked by the rupture of the Nord Stream, European countries have begun tightening security and monitoring of critical infrastructure that may be vulnerable to attack.
Norway, Europe’s main gas supplier and major oil exporter, said it had deployed soldiers to guard a major onshore oil and gas processing plant.
The focus is also on the security of other gas supply lines. Eni, the largest importer of Russian-made gas in Italy, said over the weekend that Russia had halted all gas flow through its Tarvisio entry point, but its chief executive on Monday said short-term technical problems was blamed for the outage.
The stoppage of flow through Tarvisio’s entry point “has nothing to do with geopolitical factors. This is because Gazprom paid a previously unseen financial guarantee for the transport of gas from Austria to Italy.” It is due to the fact that we have to, ”said Claudio Descalzi.
Hungary, which has criticized Western sanctions against Russia, secured a deferral of payments for its winter gas supply on Monday.
By Johan Ahlander and Terje Solsvik
follow
[ad_2]