Three separate leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have resulted in gas seeping into the Baltic Sea, according to Denmark's energy agency on Tuesday, sparking speculation that the infrastructure at the heart of the energy standoff between Russia and Europe has been deliberately damaged.
The Danish energy agency said it had found two leaks on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline north-east of the island of Bornholm and a third in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in Swedish waters south-east of the island.
A five-mile exclusion zone for shipping has been set up around Bornholm, and flights below 1,000 metres have been banned in the area. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is partially dissolvable in water, is not toxic and creates no hazard when inhaled in limited quantities.
Breakage of gas pipelines is extremely rare in Denmark, according to a statement issued by the Danish authorities. We see reason to raise the preparedness level because of the incidents we have seen over the past 24 hours. On Monday morning, Nord Stream AG, the pipeline operator, reported an unexpected overnight drop in pressure from 105 to 7 bar in Nord Stream 2, which is filled with gas but was cancelled by Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, shortly before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday afternoon, a further drop in pressure was reported in Nord Stream 1, which Russia shut down indefinitely at the beginning of September, initially saying it needed repairs.
The German and Danish authorities wouldn't give a statement on the cause of the extremely rare leaks while investigations were ongoing. An accident was unlikely because of the simultaneity of the three leaks, according to anonymous sources in German government circles. A person who was involved in the investigation told the German daily Der Tagesspiegel that our imagination can't come up with a scenario that isn't a deliberate attack.
The news magazine Spiegel stated that officials are not ruling out sabotage, designed to cause more uncertainty on Europe's energy markets.
A European security source told Reuters that there were indications that it is deliberate damage and it was still too early to draw conclusions. They said you have to ask: Who would profit? The drop in pressure comes after some politicians on the far right and far left of Germany s political spectrum have started calling for Nord Stream 2 to be opened for gas deliveries to Europe, in defiance of Germany s stated solidarity with Ukraine.
The Kremlin did not rule out sabotage as a reason for the damage to the Russian-built network of Nord Stream pipelines. A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that no option can be ruled out right now, as he said, when asked if sabotage was the reason for the damage.
He said that this is a very concerning news, and he called for a prompt investigation. We are talking about some damage to the pipe in Denmark's economic zone. The foreign ministry of Poland suggested that the damage could be an act of provocation on behalf of the Kremlin. Our eastern partner is always pursuing an aggressive political course, the deputy foreign minister, Marcin Przydacz, said in Warsaw. If it is capable of an aggressive military course in Ukraine, then it is apparent that acts of provocations in western Europe can't be ruled out. Since the leaks haven't affected its plan to fill gas storage tanks in time for winter, German authorities have been quick to reassure people that the leaks will not affect its plan to fill gas storage tanks in time for winter.
The leaks are likely to cause large-scale damage to the environment, according to environmental NGOs. The pressure group Environmental Action Germany said that as soon as methane in gas form raises from the surface of the ocean, it will massively contribute to the greenhouse effect, said Sascha M ller-Kraenner.