Contrary to expectations, gas leaks from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea have not yet completely dried up. However, Gazprom announced that a pipe from Nord Stream 2 is intact – and that it is ready to deliver gas through it again.
As the Swedish Coast Guard announced on Monday, the area where gas escapes from the water had even increased at the smaller of the two exit points in the country’s economic zone. It was therefore about 30 meters after the coast guard reported a diameter of 15 meters at the weekend.
It is a leak in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The initially larger exit point on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, however, can no longer be seen on the water surface.
Danish authorities only announced at the weekend that no more gas was leaking at the two points within their economic zone. The operator, Nord Stream AG, had been informed that the pressure in the pipeline had also stabilized at Nord Stream 1. This indicates that no more gas is escaping. The Danes had already announced the same status for Nord Stream 2 on Saturday.
The Russian state-owned company Gazprom also confirmed on Monday that the pressure in the lines of the two pipelines had now stabilized. To be on the safe side, gas is still being pumped out of the intact Nord Stream 2 pipe in order to create better conditions for checking the pipeline.
At the same time, Gazprom said that the company could send gas through the intact pipe – provided that this was desired and the pipe passed the inspection.