Denmark is on high alert: leaks found on gas pipelines near the island of Bornholm

On the gas pipelines “Nord Stream – 1” and “Nord Stream – 2,” three leaks were detected at once, reports DR.

Security zones were installed around these places.

The director of the Danish Energy Agency is alarmed that the incidents occurred almost simultaneously.

Several leaks have been identified on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

Therefore, the energy agency appealed to the state-owned company Energinet, which owns and manages Denmark’s energy infrastructure, requesting to increase the readiness level.

So far, there is an “orange” level: energy companies should closely monitor the safety of their facilities.

“The authorities and the government are closely monitoring the situation and will keep the public informed,” said Minister of Climate, Energy, and Supply Dan Jørgensen.

A total of three leaks were detected – one 24 kilometers southeast of Bornholm and two northeast of the island, said the director of the energy agency Kristoffer Böttzauw.

“A lot of natural gas enters the sea, so the Ministry of Defense and the Maritime Administration have already established security zones around these areas – access there is limited,” he said.

DANGER TO SHIPPING

The Danish Maritime Authority has established a five-nautical mile exclusion zone for vessels and a no-entry zone for aircraft within a 1 km radius around the leak sites.

“When working with gas, there is a risk of explosion, and when passing over the leakage site, there is a risk of loss of buoyancy. But the forbidden zones have already been established, and if you keep your distance, this does not threaten anything, “Kristoffer Bötzau assured.

IT WILL NOT AFFECT THE GAS SUPPLY TO DENMARK

Two leaks were found on the Nord Stream 1 line northeast of Bornholm.

One of them is in international waters but on Danish economic territory.

According to the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment, another one is located in the economic territory of Sweden.

“The incident occurred in international waters and is being eliminated like the leak at Nord Stream 2. Incidents on both lines will not affect the supply of Denmark,” the ministry said in a written statement.

None of the pipelines are currently in operation, so no consequences for European gas supplies are expected.

However, the Danish energy agency still appealed to the company to Energinet with a request to increase the level of readiness.

“Accidents on the gas pipeline are extremely rare, so incidents over the past day are an occasion to increase the level of readiness,” explains Kristoffer Bötzau.

“We want to ensure that Denmark’s key infrastructure is thoroughly inspected to strengthen the security of supply in the future,” he added.

COINCIDENCE IS ALARMING

The pipeline operator has not yet disclosed the causes of the leak.

“Last night, specialists of the Nord Stream 1 control room recorded a drop in pressure on both lines of the gas pipeline. The reasons are being investigated, “the website of Nord Stream says.

The director of the Danish Energy Agency, Kristoffer Bötzau, also does not want to guess.

“It can be a collision with a ship that has gone to the bottom, a construction defect, or a deliberate action … There are many options.”

“We cannot say for sure, but it is alarming that three incidents occurred almost simultaneously. Therefore, we take this extremely seriously and are investigating the situation together with the competent authorities,” he concluded.