Page 6 - FSUOGM Week 39 2022

FSUOGM PIPELINES & TRANSPORT FSUOGM

Seismologists record explosions

in area of Nord Stream leaks

RUSSIA EXPLOSIONS were registered by seismologists out any single way," he added.
in Sweden over the last 36 hours, according to Peskov stressed that "certainly, this is an
Explosions were the country’s national broadcaster SVT, in the issue related to the energy security of the entire
recorded by Swedish same areas where gas leaks were reported to have continent."
seismologists. occurred at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines Meanwhile, Ukraine has already blamed Rus-
yesterday, stoking fears that the projects were sia, with Mikhaila Podolyak, head of the office
sabotaged. of Ukraine’s president, describing it as “an act
“SVT can reveal that measuring stations in of aggression towards the EU.” “Russia wants to
both Sweden and Denmark registered strong destabilise the economic situation in Europe and
underwater explosions in the same area as the cause pre-winter panic,” he tweeted.
gas leaks on Monday,” SVT reported. Bjorn Denmark’s armed forces have released a
Lund, a lecturer in seismology at the Swedish video showing methane bubbles boiling up to
National Seismic Network, SNSN, was quoted by the surface of the sea, with the largest leak caus-
the broadcaster as saying “there is no doubt that ing a surface disturbance of well over a 1 km in
these are explosions.” The first blast was recorded diameter.
at 02:03 in the early morning of September 26, The Danish Energy Agency meanwhile esti-
and the second at 19:04 in the evening. mates that it could take a week for the gas to
Germany’s government considers sabotage stop draining out of Nord Stream 2. While the
a likely cause of the leaks, according to a report pipeline has never flowed gas commercially, it
by national daily Tagesspiegel on September 27, was nevertheless filled with methane last year as
while the Kremlin has said it cannot rule out sab- part of pre-commissioning work. Likewise Nord
otage as a possibility. Denmark’s prime minister Stream 1, even though it halted gas flow at the
Mette Frederiksen has said the same. end of August, would still have been full of gas in
The Kremlin also did not rule out foul play. order to maintain pressure. According to Nord
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two Stream 1’s operator, three of the four strings that
gas pipelines could be sabotaged. make up the two pipelines have suffered leaks,
"Now we can't rule out any option," he told describing the damage as “unprecedented.”
reporters responding to a relevant question from While European gas prices did not respond to
TASS. "Obviously, there is some kind of destruc- initial reports of the gas leaks, they are currently
tion of the pipe, and as for what caused it, before up close to 7% on the previous trading price, at
the results of the research appear, we cannot rule €185/MWh. ™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 39 30•September•2022