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An independent Norwegian research group reported Tuesday “a probable explosion” near a Baltic Sea gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland that has been shut due to a suspected leak.
The Finnish and Estonian state firms that co-own Balticconnector reported Sunday an unusual drop in pressure and said the pipeline has been indefinitely shut down.
On Tuesday Gasgrid Finland Oy, which co-owns the pipeline with Elering AS, reported that Finnish authorities confirmed a gas leak that resulted from damage.
Also on Tuesday, the Finnish presidency issued a statement saying the damage had been likely “caused by external activity”.
“NORSAR have detected a probable explosion along the Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea at 01:20 (local time in Finland) on 8th October 2023”, the Norwegian seismological think tank said in a report on its website. “This explosion was detected using stations in Finland”.
Norsar said it had detected seismic beam signals in southern Finland that point to “an original signal” traced about 24.85 miles (40 kilometers) north of the Estonian town of Paldiski.
The leak comes a year after purported attacks hit Nord Stream, another gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea carrying gas from pipeline owner Russia to Germany, in an apparent sabotage in which no culprit has been officially identified.
“The local magnitude of the event has been estimated at 1.0, which is much lower than the Nord Stream explosion detected in September 2022”, Norsar added.
But it noted, “Both location and magnitude estimates are associated with large uncertainties”.
“Further analysis of the data is ongoing”, Norsar said.
In its latest update on the incident, Gasgrid said in a press release Tuesday on its website, “Finnish authorities have confirmed damage in the Balticconnector offshore pipeline today”.
“The damage caused the gas leak detected on the small hours of October 8.
“Gasgrid Finland’s inspection operation measures of the offshore pipeline, which was launched earlier today, will continue, despite the observation made now, to focus on the rest of the pipeline”.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto’s office said the country’s “political leadership has been closely informed of the situation”.
“It is likely that the damage to both the gas pipeline and the data cable is caused by external activity”, the office said in a statement on its website. “What specifically caused the damage is not yet known.
“The investigation will continue in cooperation between Finland and Estonia. We are also in constant contact with our allies and partners”.
The statement said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “is ready to assist with the investigation”.
In a European Union statement on the incident, EU President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, “I strongly condemn any act of deliberate destruction of critical infrastructure”.
“Our pipelines and underwater cables connect citizens and companies across Europe and to the rest of the world”, read the statement on the EU website. “They are lifelines of financial markets and global trade.
“This is the second time in just over a year that this kind of critical infrastructure is damaged”.
Launched into commercial use January 2020, as announced by a media release at the time by the EU Directorate-General of Energy, the EU-funded Balticconnector is the first gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland. While the pipeline is bidirectional, most of the gas arriving in Estonia from Finland is forwarded to Latvia, according to Elering.
Stable Supply
Gasgrid reassured in its update Tuesday the Balticconnector incident would not affect supply in Finland. “The situation of the Finnish gas system is stable, and the supply of gas from the LNG terminal in Inkoo has been secured”, it said. Balticconnector is linked to Finland’s floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Port of Inkoo, where gas from the pipeline is delivered to the Baltic states, as well as Poland, according to Gasgrid.
“The terminal has the capacity and the ability to deliver the gas Finland needs, including in the coming winter, even though gas consumption is typically higher in winter seasons”, said Tuesday’s announcement. “Market players have been instructed to ensure the gas supply they need by ordering it to Inko or the Hamina LNG terminal, so that the continuity of the gas supply is secured in the coming winter season”.
Elering also said Sunday in its announcement of the incident, “The accident does not affect the gas supply to Estonian consumers”.
“After the shutdown of Balticconnector, gas reaches Estonian consumers from Latvia”, Elering said.
To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com
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