John Adoyi, PBA Journalism MenteeLeaks from Nord stream 1 and 2, the major gas pipelines from Russia to Europe has prompted questions and investigations of sabotage from European countries like Germany, Denmark, Poland and Sweden while Ukraine says it is an act of aggression by Russia towards Europe in preparation for the harsh winter that could escalate the energy crisis in Europe.
Sweden’s National Seismology Centre reported that there is no doubt that the leaks were not as a result of an explosion as bubbles of methane were seen on the area in the Baltic Sea after an explosion was detected.
Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s prime minister did not shy away from blaming sabotage for the leaks saying it is related to Europe’s part in the conflict in Ukraine.
“Today we faced an act of sabotage, we don’t know all the details of what happened, but we see clearly that it’s an act of sabotage, related to the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine,” he said.
While Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said “It is too early to conclude yet, but it is an extraordinary situation,”
“We are talking about three leaks with some distance between them, and that’s why it is hard to imagine that it is a coincidence,” she said
German geological research centre also corroborated the claim by Sweden of 2 explosions, saying seismograph on the Danish island of Bornholm, recorded 2 explosions on Monday.
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Gazprom the company operating the Pipes to Europe had earlier said that Western sanctions had made it difficult to buy parts for the facilities needed to operate the pipes thereby limiting flow of gas to Europe, fuelling the energy crisis in Europe and making European countries outsource gas from Africa and Middle east countries like Algeria, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate.
The media in Europe had earlier released reports of operators of gas facilities burning off gas worth millions of Dollars every day in August raising questions of environmental hazards due to gas flares.
According to the head of Denmark’s Energy Agency, Kristoffer Bottzauw, it will take a week for the methane to drain completely from Nord stream and he also warned that it poses danger to ship because there is a high chance of explosions in the area.
“The sea surface is full of methane, which means there is an increased risk of explosions in the area.”
It was reported that price of gas went up sharply as the news broke in Europe.
The European commission said there is no need for any claim of sabotage yet saying that methane would have a huge consequence on the environment.
Russia’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the news “very concerning” and said it is a big problem for all of Europe while also saying that sabotage could not be ruled out.
“This is an issue related to the energy security of the entire continent,” Peskov said.
Investigation into the gas leaks is still on and more information will emerge as it progresses
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