Dhe pressure drop in the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, which is not used for gas deliveries, is the result of a gas leak south-east of the Danish island of Bornholm, according to the operator. In cooperation with the authorities, Denmark’s exclusive economic zone had been identified as the location of a possible exit, Nord Stream 2 AG announced on Monday afternoon. The responsible authorities have therefore set up a security zone as a precautionary measure. The investigations continued.
The operator of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline has also noticed a pressure drop in the German-Russian energy route. According to market information that is mandatory for network operators, the capacity of the pipeline has unexpectedly dropped to zero. According to the company, the cause is currently being investigated. According to the Reuters news agency, two strands of Nord Stream 1 are down for a month due to a drop in pressure. According to the company, the connection lines are Opal and Nel. The disruption at the Greifswald natural gas transfer station is expected to last from September 26th to October 26th.
Federal Network Agency President Klaus Müller describes the situation as “tense” after the pressure drop in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Such a repeated pressure drop on the NS1 & NS2 underlines the agency’s assessment of a tense situation, Müller tweeted in the evening The Federal Network Agency does not see any effects on the security of supply. “We are in the process of clarifying the situation in exchange with the Federal Ministry of Economics and the authorities concerned. We currently do not know the causes of the pressure drop,” said a spokesman for the authority. “We don’t see any effects on security of supply,” he adds.
Leak dangerous for shipping
The competent Danish authority issued a corresponding notice on Monday afternoon. A gas leak was observed. The leak is said to be dangerous to navigation and navigating within five nautical miles of said position is prohibited.
According to the operator, there was a pressure drop in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline on Monday night. A pressure loss was found in Tube A, and the responsible naval authorities in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia were informed immediately, said the spokesman for the pipeline operator Nord Stream 2 AG, Ulrich Lissek, on Monday.
Little impact on marine environment
According to the German Environmental Aid (DUH), a leak in the gas pipeline would have little impact on the marine environment in the Baltic Sea. Natural gas is methane, which partially dissolves in water and is not toxic, a DUH spokesman said on Monday in Berlin. The greater the water depth at which gas is released, the higher the proportion of the greenhouse gas that is dissolved in the water.
The double strand of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline runs 1,230 kilometers from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. She is completed and filled with gas, but she has never imported gas. The federal government put the approval process for the completed line on hold in February shortly before the Russian attack on Ukraine and also stressed afterwards that commissioning was out of the question.
Shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States imposed sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and made all transactions with the Swiss-based company impossible. Only recently was an impending bankruptcy averted again. The responsible court extended a provisional debt restructuring moratorium until January 10, 2023. Creditors will not be able to collect any money with it until at least January. A trustee appointed by the court can examine whether a restructuring or an agreement with the creditors has a chance of success. If this is not the case, bankruptcy proceedings must be opened under Swiss law.
