Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Denmark and Sweden reported leaks in Russian gas pipelines in their territorial waters and launched investigations.
After Denmark discovered a leak in Nord Stream 2, the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) warned about leaks in Nord Stream 1, according to Reuters reporting on Tuesday.
Denmark limited shipping in the area where the leak was spotted, while Sweden issued a warning about leaks in Nord Stream 1.
Neither pipeline was operating when the leaks were spotted, but natural gas is under pressure in the pipelines. The leaks will delay any attempts to restart the pipelines.
Dan Jørgensen, Swedish Minister of Climate and Energy, pointed out in a statement that “a leak was detected on one of the two gas pipelines between Russia and Denmark – Nord Stream 2.”
He reminded that the pipeline is not running, “but contains natural gas, which is now leaking.” Jørgensen added that authorities warned about two additional leaks on the Nord Stream 1, noting that it also is not running but contains gas.
While Nord Stream 2 was never put in operation, Russia halted the operation of Nord Stream 1 in August, blaming Western sanctions for technical problems that forced it to stop the flow.
Causes unclear
According to SMA, “there are two leaks on Nord Stream 1 – one in Swedish economic zone and one in Danish economic zone… they are very near each other.”
The body added that it is not clear what caused the leaks and noted “we are keeping extra watch to make sure no ship comes too close to the site.”
Danish authorities called for raising the country’s level of preparedness in gas and power sectors after the leaks were discovered.
Kristoffer Böttzauw, head of the Danish Energy Agency, pointed out that “breaches of gas pipelines happen extremely rarely” and added that the agency wants “to ensure thorough monitoring of Denmark’s critical infrastructure in order to strengthen security of supply in the future.”
Increasing the level of preparedness would require businesses in gas and power sectors to implement safety measures at facilities and installations.
The Danish Energy Agency warned that leaky gas pipelines can cause vessels to lose buoyancy and present a risk of ignition, stressing that risk is not elevated in areas outside the exclusion zone.
