Preliminary investigations have found that “powerful” explosions caused the damage to both the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipeline systems late September, the Danish police said Oct. 18.
Both strings of the Nord Stream network and one of the strings of Nord Stream 2 were hit by suspected sabotage attacks Sept. 26. The second Nord Stream 2 string remains intact and capable of flowing gas.
The Copenhagen police, together with the Danish security service, carried out an initial probe at the site of the leaks in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone.
“The investigations have confirmed extensive damage to Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and that the damage was caused by powerful explosions,” the police said.
The police added that it had decided to set up a joint investigation group with the security service to handle further investigation of the incidents.
“It is still too early to say anything about the framework under which the international cooperation with, for example, Sweden and Germany will run and it is not possible to say when the investigation can be expected to be completed,” the police said.
The European gas market remains concerned over threats to key gas infrastructure following the suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
Gas prices rose after the incidents but have fallen in recent weeks on the back of healthy European gas storage stocks and gas demand reductions.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed the Dutch TTF month-ahead price at Eur125.20/MWh Oct. 17, down sharply from a record high of Eur319.98/MWh late August.
Security concerns
Neither Nord Stream nor Nord Stream 2 were flowing gas to Europe at the time of the incidents so there was no immediate impact on gas supply.
Nord Stream flows were halted Aug. 31 and have not resumed operations since due to what Gazprom has described as maintenance issues with turbines at the Portovaya compressor station.
Nord Stream 2 never started commercial operations despite construction work on the pipeline being completed in September 2021 and the lines being filled with gas in December.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Oct. 12 that it would be possible for the undamaged Nord Stream 2 string to begin operations, but Germany has rejected the idea.
Germany said Nord Stream 2 remains uncertified and so cannot begin commercial operations.
The suspected sabotage against the pipelines have led to concern over the possibility of further attacks on key European energy infrastructure.
They have prompted European efforts to bolster energy infrastructure security, with Norway in particular increasing security around its offshore oil and gas installations and pipelines.
Norway remains on high alert, with a drone sighted Oct. 13 close to the major Karsto gas processing adding to concerns over the country’s gas infrastructure security.
The sighting followed a hoax bomb threat earlier in the day against the Nyhamna gas processing plant and the arrest of a Russian man carrying two drones on the border with Norway Oct. 11.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Oct. 13 a number of “saboteurs” had been arrested for having planned to sabotage the TurkStream gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey.
Peskov said the detainees had planned to “blow up” TurkStream on Russian territory.
Source: Platts