Sweden finds a fourth leak in the Nord Stream pipelines
- So far, three leaks have been reported from Nord Stream’s pipelines, two from Nord Stream 1 and one from Nord Stream 2.
- This fourth leak came from Nord Stream 2, near one of the breaks on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
- The EU believes that the gas leaks were the result of a deliberate act of sabotage and not an accident or a purely technical error.
Four leaks, two in each of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, were discovered after gas began leaking earlier this week from the infrastructure just outside Swedish and Danish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea, says Svenska Dagbladet reportscites Sweden’s Coast Guard.
So far, three leaks from the two pipelines have been reported – two on Nord Stream 1 pipes and one on Nord Stream 2. According to the Swedish Coast Guard, the fourth leak is on Nord Stream 2, near a break found on the twin Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
Two of the four leaks are located close to each other in the Swedish exclusive economic zone near Simrishamn, says the Coast Guard as quoted by Svenska Dagbladet.
Nord Stream 2 was never put into operation after Germany abolished the certification process following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia, for its part, shut down Nord Stream 1 indefinitely earlier this month, claiming it could not repair gas turbines because of Western sanctions.
Until yesterday, Russian analysts claimed that one of the four lines of the Russian Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines could still send gas to Europe if Nord Stream 2 received all the necessary certifications.
Now it appears that all four lines of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were damaged under mysterious circumstances. The EU as a whole believes that the gas leaks from the pipelines in the Baltic Sea were the result of a deliberate act of sabotage and not an accident or a purely technical fault.
The European Union said in a statement on Wednesday, “All available information indicates that these leaks are the result of an intentional act.”
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said earlier this week, commented on the gas leaks and explosions in the Baltic Sea, “We are coordinating the situation closely with the US and other allies, including on next steps. We will get to the bottom of these incidents and act on them together.”
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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