Dear Readers, We deeply regret having been offline for several days due to a technical issue that has now been resolved. We are still facing some minor issues that we hope will not interfere with the quality of the information provided. 
Elena Mazneva, Bloomberg News
LONDON
EnergiesNet.com 09 30 2022
Whichever way you look at it, the amount of natural gas bubbling up in the Baltic Sea from Russia’s ruptured Nord Stream pipelines is massive.
The underwater pipes, damaged by what European and US leaders say was sabotage, contained 778 million cubic meters of gas, based on data compiled by the Danish Energy Agency. That would be enough to meet three days’ supply for Germany, Europe’s biggest user of the fuel. It’s also the same as two-and-a-half days of production from Norway, currently the continent’s top gas supplier.
Another way of looking at it is: the lost volume is equivalent to what can be carried on five liquefied natural gas tankers. This is an increasingly important source of fuel for Europe as it seeks alternatives to Russia, which has been squeezing energy supplies to Europe for months.
EU Backs Gas Plan as Focus Turns to Security: Energy Update
The Nord Stream pipelines traverse the Baltic Sea to Germany from Russia, running on the seabed in international waters. Two leaks are in Sweden’s economic zone, and two in Denmark’s. The pipelines were already out of action, but any hopes that Russia might have turned the taps back on have been dashed.
Denmark expects all the remaining gas to have left the ruptured pipelines this Sunday. After that, the operator and authorities may start underwater checks to see what’s happened and how big the damage is.
Whichever way you look at it, the amount of natural gas bubbling up in the Baltic Sea from Russia’s ruptured Nord Stream pipelines is massive.
The underwater pipes, damaged by what European and US leaders say was sabotage, contained 778 million cubic meters of gas, based on data compiled by the Danish Energy Agency. That would be enough to meet three days’ supply for Germany, Europe’s biggest user of the fuel. It’s also the same as two-and-a-half days of production from Norway, currently the continent’s top gas supplier.
Another way of looking at it is: the lost volume is equivalent to what can be carried on five liquefied natural gas tankers. This is an increasingly important source of fuel for Europe as it seeks alternatives to Russia, which has been squeezing energy supplies to Europe for months.
Another leak on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea has been disclosed, bringing the total number of ruptures to four, according to the Swedish Coast Guard’s Command Center.
Sweden’s Coast Guard became aware of two leaks in the pipelines in the country’s exclusive economic zone on Monday, at the same time they learned of two in Denmark, a spokesman said by phone. Officials put the information on their website, but were “surprised” that it wasn’t known broadly, with just one leak near Sweden talked about in the past days, the spokesman said. Local media in the Nordic country began reporting on the fourth leak late Wednesday.
It isn’t known where exactly the leaks are located on the pipes’ structures, according to the spokesman. The Coast Guard is monitoring the site, and has a remote-controlled underwater robot on location.
Gas has been bubbling up from the pipelines since earlier this week, with Denmark estimating that the links would empty by Sunday. Several governments have called the actions “deliberate” and “sabotage,” with Finland on Wednesday noting that only a state actor could be capable of acts on such a scale.
The incident has prompted increased security on energy infrastructure across Europe, with some, such as Poland, pointing the finger at Russia, which is waging war in Ukraine and has curbed gas flows to Europe. Norway is now Europe’s biggest gas exporter and its largest energy companies said Wednesday that they are boosting security around their offshore assets.
Read: Nord Stream Gas Leaks May Be a New Disaster for the Climate
The Nord Stream pipelines traverse the Baltic Sea to Germany from Russia, running on the seabed in international waters. Two leaks are in Sweden’s economic zone, and two in Denmark’s. The bubbling areas above the leaks in Sweden’s zone measure about 800 meters (2,600 feet) in diameter above pipeline 1 and about 150 meters above pipeline 2, respectively, according to the Coast Guard.
The pipelines were already out of action, but any hope that the Kremlin might have turned the taps back on at some point have now been dashed. Police in Denmark and Sweden are investigating the events.
Russia has been squeezing energy supplies to Europe for months, engaging in a cat-and-mouse game as it tries to exert maximum pressure on Ukraine’s allies. Europe has responded by filling up gas stores and trying to source alternative supplies.
For now, it looks like those efforts will be enough to get Europe through this winter, though questions remain over the following one. The bloc got about 40% of its pipeline gas from Russia before the war, a figure that now stands at about 9%.
Bloomberg.com 09 29 2022
