Peter Myers: Nord Stream 1 & 2 pipelines sabotaged, c/- Biden’s war on Russia & Germany
(1) Three out of the four Nord Stream pipeines have been blown up
(2) Seismic monitoring stations in Sweden, Finland and Norway recorded two explosions near Nord Stream pipes
(3) German Anger at Sabotage of Nord Stream Gas Pipelines
(4) German officials suspect American or NATO involvement
(5) Biden: “If Russia invades…then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”
(1) Three out of the four Nord Stream pipeines have been blown up
Germany Not Ruling Out Possible Attack on Nord Stream Pipelines
The German government has expressed concern about Europe’s gas infrastructure following pressure drops in two Baltic Sea pipelines. Security of other plants is being urgently reviewed.
By Alexander Preker, Gerald Traufetter, Stefan Schultz und Claus Hecking
27.09.2022, 15.25 Uhr
Following sudden pressure drops in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines on Monday, there is concern in the German government that this could be a targeted attack on European gas infrastructure and gas markets.
Three out of four of the pipes belonging to the Baltic Sea pipeline network are damaged, an inside source told DER SPIEGEL. Officials do not believe it is a coincidence, and that it could be a plot to inject uncertainty into European gas markets.
According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, the security plans for other pipelines and gas supply facilities are now the focus of urgent review.
Although the Nord Stream 2 pipeline never went into operation after its completion and was only filled with natural gas once, gas did continue to flow from Russia to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline until the beginning of September. The operator of Nord Stream 1 also reported a drop in pressure on Monday after the leak at Nord Stream 2 became known.
According to a spokesman, both pipelines are affected. Capacity sank to zero in an unplanned manner, according to market information that operators must report.
Security Experts Are not Ruling Out Sabotage
The Danish navy has stated that there are indications of sabotage. If it was an attack, officials believe that it could only have been conducted by a state actor, given the technical effort required.
Poland suspects Russian provocations behind the mysterious pipeline leaks. “Unfortunately, our eastern neighbor is pursuing an aggressive policy all the time,” said Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz.
Russia also isn’t ruling out the possibility it was sabotage. “No option can be ruled out right now,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked if sabotage could be the reason for the pressure drop.
As a consequence of the leaks, the Danish maritime authority has set up restricted zones for shipping traffic near the Danish island of Bornholm. Danish authorities have discovered a total of three leaks along the gas pipelines. There are reportedly two leaks at Nord Stream 1 northeast of the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm and one at Nord Stream 2 southeast of the island, the Danish Energy Authority said. In the case of Nord Stream 1, one leak is in Danish waters and the other is in Swedish waters. The Nord Stream 2 leak is located in Danish waters.
Investigations are currently underway, said a spokesman for Nord Stream AG, which is responsible for Nord Stream 1. No information is available yet regarding the extent of the damage. In the area around Bornholm, the spokesperson said, the pipelines are located about 70 meters below the water surface. According to Nord Stream 2 spokesman Ulrich Lissek, the pipelines are laid in such a way that simultaneous damage to several pipelines, for example by a single ship accident, is highly unlikely. Asked if he was aware of similar incidents involving offshore pipelines, he said: “I’ve never heard of any.”
An expert on underwater robots also referred to the extremely high safety standards and the robust construction of the pipelines. From his point of view, deliberate manipulation is the only plausible explanation. The expert says the authorities will now take a closer look using diving robots.
The Gas Supply Is Safe, But the Ecosystem Is Not
The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten is reporting that Danish F-16 fighter jets discovered the leak from Nord Stream 2 on Monday. According to the report, they were dispatched from Bornholm to photograph the area. They discovered that bubbles were rising from the water at a point southeast of the island.
According to the Danish Energy Agency, ships risk losing propulsion if they enter the area. There is also a risk they could ignite the gas. Outside the zone, however, the agency said there is no danger, not even for the inhabitants of Bornholm and the small neighboring island Christiansø.
German and Danish authorities pointed out that the incidents had no effect on gas supplies, as the pipelines had not been used for gas imports recently.
Gas had still been flowing to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline until a few weeks ago, although at reduced volume. But approval for imports through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline were put on hold shortly after the Russian attack on Ukraine. Since then, use of the pipeline has been prohibited in response to the war.
The German environmental organization BUND estimates that the potential short-term environmental impact of the leaks from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines will be limited to the immediate area. “However, there is a danger of suffocation for animals in the area,” said Nadja Ziebarth, head of BUND’s marine conservation office. “This applies especially to those animals that can’t flee quickly.”
Together with the organization Environmental Action Germany, BUND also sees a climate hazard from the leaking methane, which is 25 times more harmful than CO2. Pure methane that dissolves in the ocean is said to be non-toxic. However, the composition of the gas in the Nord Stream pipes is not known.
On Europe’s gas exchanges, prices rose noticeably again on Tuesday after weeks of downward movement. At around 2 p.m., the price of a megawatt hour of natural gas for delivery in October hit 192.50 euros on the Dutch reference market TTF, around 10 percent higher than the day before.
(2) Seismic monitoring stations in Sweden, Finland and Norway recorded two explosions near Nord Stream pipes
https://nypost.com/2022/09/27/sabotage-suspected-in-breach-of-nord-stream-russian-gas-line/
Sabotage suspected in breach of Nord Stream Russian gas line
By Evan Simko-Bednarski
September 27, 2022 3:36pm Updated
Major leaks in two natural gas pipelines connecting Russia to Europe were being investigated Tuesday as possible acts of sabotage.
The breaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines caused natural gas to bubble up through the Baltic Sea, causing a foamy disturbance visible from the surface.
“We have established a report and the crime classification is gross sabotage,” a Swedish national police spokesperson said.
Seismic monitoring stations in Sweden, Finland and Norway recorded two explosions Monday near the Danish island of Bornholm, the largest of which registered a 2.3 on the Richter scale.
“There’s no doubt this is not an earthquake,” said Bjorn Lund, director of the Swedish National Seismic Network.
The Nord Stream pipelines — a major artery for natural gas transport between Russia and Europe — have been a flashpoint in the economic cold war over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Gas transit has been halted over the pipeline for months — with Moscow blaming technical issues while Europe accused the Kremlin of retaliating against Western sanctions.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki joined the Swedes Tuesday in calling the new leaks an act of sabotage.
“We can clearly see that this is an act of sabotage, an act that probably means a next step of escalation in the situation that we are dealing with in Ukraine,” he said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said foul play could not be ruled out, and a German government source told the newspaper Tagesspiegel, “We can’t imagine a scenario that isn’t a targeted attack.”
Even Russia — a likely suspect in any potential pipeline plot — said it would not rule out sabotage.
“This is an unprecedented situation that requires an urgent investigation. We are extremely worried by this news,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “No version [of events] could be excluded.”
The damage to the pipeline was reportedly extensive, with German media describing an “explosive drop in pressure.”
Business consultancy Eurasia Group issued a bleak analysis of the damage Tuesday.
“The multiple undersea leaks mean neither pipeline will likely deliver any gas to the EU over the coming winter, irrespective of political developments in the Ukraine war,” it said.
(3) German Anger at Sabotage of Nord Stream Gas Pipelines
https://gizmodo.com/germany-pipeline-russia-sabotage-nord-stream-1849586472
Germany Suspects Sabotage Over Nord Stream Gas Pipeline Leaks
The Nord Stream pipelines carry natural gas from Russia to Germany across a collective 2,456 kilometers beneath the Baltic Sea.
By Kevin Hurler
Today 2:35PM
The Nord Stream pipelines—which carry natural gas between Russia and Germany—are leaking, and Germany believes the damage could be an act of sabotage as tensions between Europe and Russia continue.
Nord Stream is a massive pipeline project connecting the natural gas output of Russia to Germany, but a recent episode of leaks have the government of Germany concerned that the pipeline might have been sabotaged. Three leaks were detected in the Baltic Sea to the northeast and south of the Danish island of Bornholm according to a press release by defense officials.
Bloomberg reports that a German security official claims that the leaks were caused by an intentional act as opposed to a technical malfunction. Two explosions were detected by Swedish seismologists on Monday, with one occurring at 2:03 a.m. local time and the other at 7:04 p.m. Seismologist Peter Schmidt with Uppsala University in Sweden told Bloomberg that the explosions matched the coordinates of leaks in the pipeline.
“It’s hard to imagine that these are coincidences,” said Denmark prime minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday as quoted by Bloomberg. “We can’t rule out sabotage.”
The pipeline network consists of two pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, that run a collective 2,456 kilometers (1,526 miles) beneath the Baltic Sea. Nord Stream 1 has an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters (1.9 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas, while Nord Stream 2 has not yet entered service, but would double this volume. While both pipelines were not flowing when the leaks began, they did contain natural gas, leading to areas of bubbling water in the Baltic Sea. The leaks were first noticed by the Norwegian Armed Forces’ F-16 interceptor response unit.
Previous tensions between Russia and Germany regarding the Nord Stream project include Germany blocking the activation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline last February amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In July, Gazprom, the state-owned majority shareholder in Nord Stream, reportedly curtailed the throughput of Nord Stream 1 to 20% of the maximum capacity.
(4) German officials suspect American or NATO involvement
https://www.eugyppius.com/p/apparent-sabotage-disables-nord-stream
Apparent Sabotage Disables Nord Stream 1 and 2, Cutting Off All Direct Gas Supply to Germany from Russia
Anonymous German officials appear to acknowledge the strong possibility of American or NATO involvement
eugyppius
Sept 26, 2022
Yesterday evening, pressure in the undersea Nord Stream 2 pipeline suddenly collapsed, and gas could be seen bubbling to the surface of the Baltic Sea near the Danish island of Bornholm. Shortly afterwards, reports came of a total collapse in the pressure of our other major undersea pipeline connection to Russia, Nord Stream 1, indicating a further rupture.
Government officials assume that the damage is intentional, and the result of an attack by foreign forces:
Due to the timing, the fact that three separate pipelines were affected1, and the severe pressure losses in Nord Stream 1, officials expect the worst. “We can no longer imagine any scenario other than a targeted attack,” said a person privy to the assessment by the federal government and federal authorities. They added: “Everything speaks against a coincidence.”
Such an attack on the seabed would be anything but trivial; it would have to be carried out with special forces – for example, by navy divers or a submarine, people informed of initial assessments said.
With regard to responsibility for the alleged attacks, two possibilities are being discussed. First, according to initial speculation, Ukrainian or Ukrainian-affiliated forces could be responsible. With the temporary shutdown of the Nord Stream pipelines, gas deliveries from Russia to Germany and Central Europe would only be possible via the Yamal pipelinje running through Poland or the Ukrainian pipeline network.
The piece that I’ve bolded is of course a lightly disguised reference to the United States or NATO. This should surprise nobody: President Biden said in early February that in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, “there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2, we will bring an end to it.” It’s well within the realm of possibility that such an attack would’ve been carried out with the tacit approval (or even upon the request) of the Scholz government, to relieve them of political pressure to open Nord Stream 2 or seek terms for a restoration of supply to Nord Stream 1 as the economy continues to circle the drain. The Greens are in government here, and Green-adjacent journalists have gone so far as to demand the dismantling of the pipelines to hurt Putin, so this too is far from crazy.
The second scenario investigators are contemplating, according to the linked Tagesspiegel report, is of course a “‘false flag’ operation by Russia,” carried out to “drive up the price of gas,” “exacerbate the European energy crisis” and “fuel additional uncertainty.” Russia will surely be blamed for the attack as soon as it is confirmed, I have no doubt of that.
The pipeline attacks come as a few prominent German politicians have demanded the opening of Nord Stream 2, and the subject has attracted a growing protest movement. Neither pipeline was currently transporting gas; Gazprom cut off supply to Nord Stream 1 at the end of August, citing maintenance issues exacerbated by EU sanctions, while the Scholz government refused to certify Nord Stream 2 following its completion in November 2021.
(5) Biden: “If Russia invades…then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”
Nordstream gas pipeline apparently sabotaged with “explosions” and three huge leaks
“It’s difficult to imagine it could be accidental”
The leaks are massive
Indeed “leak” does not seem like the right word.
The size of the Nord Stream pipeline gas leak is huge.
The sites are 75 kilometers apart just outside official Danish territory.
Euronews –– Swedish national broadcaster SVT reported that national seismologists had registered “two clear explosions” around the area, first at 2:03 AM and then at 7:04 PM (CET) on Monday.
Hours after the explosions, coincidentally, Gazprom also warned that one of the two remaining major pipelines to Europe was at risk due to a legal dispute over fees. Gazprom was refusing to pay a transit fee that the Ukrainian energy firm said it was supposed to pay.
At this stage everyone is saying the leaks are sabotage, but no one is claiming to know anything for sure. The US government has said it is ‘ready to provide support’ to Europe.
So, below, this is quite an awkward flashback, to say the least. It’s from February when Joe Biden was trying to talk Russia out of invading Ukraine:
Biden: “If Russia invades…then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”
Reporter:— “But how will you do that, exactly, since… The project is in Germany’s control?”
Biden: — “I promise you, we will be able to do that.” “
Russia meanwhile announced a week ago that it is building a gas pipe to China instead to deliver 50 billion m3.
Energy security = national security.
Notably, no one is sabotaging any wind farms.