The most important thing about the leaks in Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2
- In both Gas pipelines from Russia to Germany were – after a first drop in pressure in the night to Monday – in total three leaks discovered
- Die cause has not yet been determined.
- Sabotage is also on the part of the federal government not excluded.
- Die EU considers sabotage to be a likely cause and has threatened with countermeasures.
- authorities pointed out that the incidents no effect on the gas supply had.
Wednesday 28 September
Nord Stream assumes “physical damage” as the cause of leaks
Nord Stream believes “physical damage” to the pipeline is the cause of the leaks that caused the massive pressure drop. This is according to a statement from the company. Nord Stream also announced that it would not be able to say how long a repair would take. It is “not possible to estimate a time frame for the restoration of the gas transport infrastructure.”
Stoltenberg speaks of sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines
In connection with the leaks in the Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has now spoken of sabotage. In a conversation with the Danish Defense Minister Morten Bødskov it was about “the sabotage” of the pipelines, the Norwegian wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. They also talked about protecting critical infrastructure in NATO countries.
Bødskov said in Brussels that with so much gas in the lines, it could take a week or two for the area to calm down enough to investigate the leaks at about 80 meters below the surface. He emphasized that the incidents took place in international waters and that the infrastructure was not critical for his country. The total of three leaks are located there in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden.
Norway increases safety precautions at oil facilities after leaks
After discovering several leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, Norway is also stepping up safety precautions at its oil facilities. Energy Minister Terje Aasland said on Tuesday evening that the government had decided to implement “measures to increase the security” of infrastructure, terminals and installations on the Norwegian mainland.
The government in Oslo is now also responding to drones that oil companies recently spotted around their platforms in Norwegian waters. The authority responsible for the security of the country’s oil infrastructure had already called for increased vigilance a few days ago and warned of possible accidents or attacks in view of the discovered drones. For its part, Norway has risen to become Europe’s most important gas supplier due to the lack of Russian energy supplies. Experts also consider this large pipeline network to be vulnerable to sabotage.
Concerns on the stock market: Dax falls below 12,000 points
The previous evening, calls by central bankers for more interest rate hikes had had a negative impact on Wall Street because they were increasing concerns about a recession worldwide. The fear of a deeper energy crisis is also rampant: concerns about the stability of the energy network have recently become greater, for example because of the leaks in the two Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2.
The Dax remains in a downward spiral due to inflation, interest rate and economic concerns. For the first time since November 2020, it fell below the 12,000 point mark on Wednesday. He was only able to catch something at 11,914 points. At the end of the first hour of trading, the leading index was down 1.44 percent to 11,964.95 points. The MDax fell by 1.97 percent to 21,902.77 points, the leading euro zone index EuroStoxx 50 lost 1.3 percent in value.
FDP energy politicians: Protect important pipelines effectively
After the leaks in the Osteee gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2, the FDP energy politician Michael Kruse believes that effective protection of other pipelines is necessary. They would have to be protected from “sabotage and attacks”, Kruse told the German Press Agency on Wednesday. “In the North and Baltic Seas, the gas pipelines to Norway must be secured because they are of paramount importance for German and European gas supplies. However, we must also protect pipelines in the Mediterranean and on the mainland effectively, because they are also important for Europe’s energy supply.”
According to Kruse, pipelines and LNG terminals must be monitored, protected and secured against possible attacks day and night. “An attack on our energy infrastructure is an attack on our country and on the European Union.”
Latvia: New phase of hybrid war
Latvia’s foreign minister has condemned the “premeditated attacks” on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. “The sabotage of the Nord Stream I and II pipelines must be classified as the most serious security and environmental incident in the Baltic Sea,” he tweeted on Wednesday night. “It seems that we are entering a new phase of hybrid warfare.”
According to Edgar Rinkevics, Latvia stands in solidarity with Denmark and is ready to support the investigations in any way possible. “NATO and the EU should take this seriously and react accordingly,” he wrote after a phone call with his Danish counterpart Jeppe Kofod about the investigation.
EU threatens sanctions
The European Union considers sabotage to be the likely cause of the leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines and has threatened to take countermeasures. “All available information indicates that these leaks are the result of a deliberate act,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday on behalf of the 27 member states. Any intentional disruption to Europe’s energy infrastructure will “be met with a robust and collective response.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously announced that she considered sabotage to be the cause of the leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines and threatened the possible perpetrators with severe consequences. “Any intentional disruption of active European energy infrastructure is unacceptable and will result in the strongest possible response,” von der Leyen tweeted.
She spoke to the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen about the “sabotage action”. “It is of the utmost importance to investigate the incidents now and get full clarity on what is happening and the reasons why. A total of three leaks were discovered in one of the tubes of Nord Stream 2 and in both tubes of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after an initial pressure drop on Monday night. As early as Tuesday, Poland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia considered an attack on the European gas infrastructure to be the cause of the unprecedented damage to both pipelines.
From the point of view of German security circles, there was much to be said for sabotage. If it was an attack, only a state actor would come into question in view of the effort, it said. Although gas is currently not being delivered through any of the pipelines, the gas price has risen due to the uncertainty.
Denmark and Sweden suspect intentional act
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Tuesday evening that the information was far from complete, but two explosions had been identified that caused three leaks. Based on Swedish and Danish information, the conclusion is that it was probably an intentional act. “So it’s probably a question of sabotage,” she said.
The Danish government made a similar statement. The authorities had come to the clear conclusion that the acts were intentional and not an accident, Prime Minister Frederiksen said in the evening. Several explosions were observed within a short period of time. There is still no information about who is behind it. The incidents occurred in international waters in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden off the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.
According to a spokesman, the government in Moscow did not want to rule out any variant. The operator of Nord Stream 2 was skeptical: the lines had been laid in such a way that it was highly unlikely that several lines would be damaged at the same time, for example by a single ship accident.
CDU politician: “targeted state-induced act of sabotage”
The CDU defense expert Roderich Kiesewetter meanwhile assumes that the leaks are due to an act of sabotage by Russia. “According to everything we know, the leaks in the Nord Stream I and II pipelines can almost only be a targeted, state-initiated act of sabotage,” Kiesewetter told the editorial network Germany (RND).
From a security policy perspective, such an act of sabotage serves as a deterrent and a threat. “It is therefore likely that Russia is trying in this way to stir up uncertainty among the European population on the one hand and, on the other hand, to point out once again at state level the possibility of a threat from the attack on critical infrastructure.”
Russia has already shown in the past that the Nord Stream pipelines are being used as a tool and energy as a weapon against Germany, said the CDU politician. “Therefore, such an act of sabotage would also fit with Russia’s hybrid approach, which is characterized by state terrorism.”
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann suspects an act of sabotage
The chairwoman of the defense committee of the Bundestag, the FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, suspects Russia to be behind the possible act of sabotage. “The longer and more brutal the Russian attack on Ukraine lasts, the greater the risk of such uninhibited attacks,” Strack-Zimmermann told RND. “It cannot be ruled out that they will be directed by Russia in order to shake our markets.”
Habeck warns against speculation
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck was reluctant to comment on the cause of the leaks. Speculation about this is forbidden as long as the clarification has not taken place, said the Green politician. When asked how worried he was in general about attacks on the energy grid, Habeck said: “Of course we are in a situation in Europe and also in Germany, where critical infrastructure – and the energy supply as a whole – are potential targets.” Of course, the critical infrastructure is a potential target, “but we didn’t just know that since yesterday, it has been the basis of our work for months”.
German and Danish authorities pointed out that the incidents had no impact on the gas supply, as the pipelines had not recently been used for gas imports. While gas was still flowing from Russia to Germany via Nord Stream 1 until a few weeks ago – albeit with reduced capacity – the approval for Nord Stream 2 was put on hold by the federal government shortly before the Russian attack on Ukraine. After that, she had ruled out use because of the war.
Federal government does not rule out attacks
The federal government is not ruling out attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines with the motive of provoking uncertainty on the European gas markets. This reports the mirror. Accordingly, the safety concepts of other pipelines and gas supply systems are now being reviewed with a high level of urgency.