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Updated September 27th, 2022 at 07:06 IST

Nord Stream 2 pipeline pressure collapses dramatically overnight; Germany suspects leak

Amid the war, German authorities are currently trying to discover what caused the dramatic reduction in pressure on the defunct Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Reported by: Anwesha Majumdar
Nord stream 2
Image: AP | Image:self
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At a time, when the repercussions of the brutal Russia-Ukraine war are being felt globally, German authorities are currently trying to discover what caused the dramatic reduction in pressure on the defunct Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. A spokesperson for the pipeline’s operator claimed that there could have been a leak, The Guardian reported. The operator of Nord Stream 2 reported that pressure in the pipeline has decreased overnight from 105 to 7 bars.  

Notably, the Moscow-owned pipeline, which has been built to double the amount of gas flowing from Vyborg, Russia, under the Baltic Sea to Germany, had just been finished and was filled with 300 million cubic meters of gas. Furthermore, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz cancelled the Russian-owned pipeline just before Russia invaded Ukraine. 

According to a statement from the German economy ministry, “We are currently in contact with the authorities concerned in order to clarify the situation. We still have no clarity about the causes and the exact facts,” The Guardian reported. 

In addition to this, the operator of the pipeline, a Swiss company that has since been formally wound up, stated that it had notified all relevant authorities and that the leak, if it existed, could not have originated at the landing site in Lubmin, northern Germany. "If it were in Lubmin, you’d have heard it," the spokesperson claimed. 

Germany is attempting to determine if the pressure drop happened in German waters after informing the Danish authorities about the occurrence. Ships are requested to avoid an area five nautical miles offshore of the island of Bornholm, according to Danish officials. 

Nord Stream 2 & the energy war between Europe and Russia

Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, which devastated western economies and drove up gas prices, the pipeline has been one of the flashpoints in an intensifying energy war between Europe and Moscow. 

European nations have rejected Russian demands that Nord Stream 2 be allowed to run and blamed Moscow for using energy as a weapon. Russia disputes this and accuses the West of causing gas shortages. Russia has even shut down gas supplies to numerous nations and stopped flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea.  

As there are indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans to disrupt the energy supply in Europe this winter would be unsuccessful, the reported leak had no immediate impact on the gas market. On Monday, the cost of British wholesale gas for delivery this weekend decreased by about 24% to 160p per therm, and on Tuesday, the cost decreased by 17% to 190p per therm, The Guardian reported. 

In the meantime, a gas leak was discovered in a pipeline running beneath the Baltic Sea from Russia to Europe, according to Denmark's maritime authorities, and there is now a risk to ship traffic. A leak in the pipeline was discovered southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, according to the operator of Nord Stream 2. Despite being finished and loaded with gas, it has never been used to import gas, according to dpa. The cause of the reported leak was not immediately clear, Associated Press reported.  

(Image: AP)

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Published September 27th, 2022 at 07:06 IST

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