Fourth leak discovered on Nord Stream’s gas pipelines, Sweden says
A fourth leak has been discovered in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Germany, the Swedish coast guard said on Thursday.
Two are in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone and two in Denmark’s, according to the coast guard’s command center.
Previously, only three leaks had been discovered.
Powerful explosions were recorded in the Baltic Sea on Monday, the same day that pressure on both pipelines dropped, prompting accusations from Europe of sabotage.
None of the pipelines were operational but contain natural gas that is mostly planet-warming methane that has rapidly escaped.
The Danish energy authority said on Wednesday that the pipelines are expected to be completely empty by the weekend and that the leaks represent about a third of Denmark’s total climate impact in a year.
The unexplained incidents come amid soaring tensions between Europe and Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Moscow has cut off gas supplies, throwing energy markets into disarray and sparking fears of a crisis as the cold weather approaches.
Top EU officials have threatened punishment for whoever was behind the leaks but have so far not assigned blame.
Local media reported that two of the four leaks are in Swedish waters and are close to each other.
The nearest community was Simrishamn, on the country’s southeast coast. (dpa/NAN)