Russia’s Controversial Gas Pipeline, Nord Stream 2 Leaking Into The Baltic Sea

Denmark has reported that Nord Stream 2 — the controversial Russian gas pipeline — has started leaking into the Baltic Sea, risking naval traffic. It restricted a prohibitive zone within about 9km of the channel close to Bornholm Island.

The energy ministry of Denmark mentioned that it had acted promptly when it was informed about a pressure drop in the undersea pipeline that is now defunct on Monday.

Operating firm Nord Stream 2 AG mentioned that the drop had occurred overnight. The Nord Stream 2 landfall dispatcher reportedly registered a significant gas pressure drop on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline’s Line A, it mentioned in a statement, adding that it was strictly looking into the matter.

The Nord Stream 2 was built to deliver gas to Germany and other nations in Europe from Russia, but the multibillion-euro project was paused since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. However, gas had been pumped into the pipe, and there are concerns that significant amounts of it could quickly be released into the atmosphere.

Nord Stream 1 — a parallel gas pipeline — has been shut down for over weeks now, with Gazprom, a Russian state-owned multinational energy corporation, mentioning that it was undertaking maintenance activities to fix a leak detected earlier.

The EU has accused Russia of using gas supplies to blackmail Europe owing to its war in Ukraine; however, Moscow denies such a claim.

Energy prices have increased since Moscow invaded Ukraine, and scarce supplies could increase costs. There are growing fears families in the EU will not be able to afford the cost of heating in the coming winter.

Europe is attempting to wean itself off Russia’s energy to cut down on Moscow’s ability to finance the war, but the transition may not happen quickly.

References: Reuters, BBC