Denmark Approves Preservation Work on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

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Denmark Approves Preservation Work on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

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Denmark on the map (© Shutterstock/hyotographics)
Denmark on the map (© Shutterstock/hyotographics)

Denmark’s energy agency said Tuesday it has granted permission to Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary of Russia’s Gazprom, to conduct preservation work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. The pipeline was damaged in a series of explosions in 2022, months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The agency said in a statement that the maintenance is necessary to mitigate environmental and safety risks posed by seawater and remaining natural gas in the pipeline.

The work will involve installing specialized plugs at each open end of the damaged pipe to prevent further gas leaks and the introduction of oxygenated seawater, the agency said.

Nord Stream 2 AG completed the $11 billion pipeline project in 2021 to transport gas from Russia to Germany. However, Germany halted the plan as relations with Moscow deteriorated before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the United States imposed sanctions.

In September 2022, one of the two Nord Stream 2 pipeline lines, along with both lines of Nord Stream 1, were damaged by unexplained blasts. No one has claimed responsibility.

The damaged Nord Stream 2 line is estimated to contain approximately 9-10 million cubic meters of natural gas, while the intact line remains filled with gas, according to the Danish agency.

The United States issued further sanctions in December on the operator and other Russian entities, reiterating its view of Nord Stream 2 as a Russian geopolitical project and opposing efforts to revive it.

Both the U.S. and Ukraine have denied involvement in the attacks, as has Russia. Moscow, without providing evidence, has blamed Western sabotage for the blasts, which largely cut off Russian gas from the lucrative European market.