Nord Stream gas leaks around 1/3 of Denmark's CO2 emissions: Official

AP , Wednesday 28 Sep 2022

The Nord Stream pipeline leaks pumping huge volumes of natural gas into the Baltic Sea could emit the equivalent of one third of Denmark's total annual greenhouse gas emissions, a Danish official warned Wednesday.

This handout picture released on September 27, 2022 by the Danish Defence Command shows the gas leak
This handout picture released on September 27, 2022 by the Danish Defence Command shows the gas leak at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as it is seen from the Danish Defence s F-16 rejection response off the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm, south of Dueodde. AFP

 

Kristoffer Bottzauw, head of the Danish Energy Agency, said emissions from the three leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines correspond to approximately 32% of annual Danish carbon dioxide emissions.

Danish emissions in 2020 were approximately 45 million tonnes of CO2.

Bottzauw, told a press conference that the agency expects the gas to be out of the pipes, that run from Russia to Germany, by Sunday.

``As long as there is gas, it dangerous to be there,'' Bottzauw said, declining to say when experts would be able to go down and see the pipes, which he said was made of 12 centimeter (5 inches ) thick steel coated with concrete.

The pipelines lie on the seabed between 70 and 90 meters (230 feet and 295 feet) deep.

Seismologists said Tuesday that explosions rattled the Baltic Sea before unusual leaks were discovered in the two underwater natural gas pipelines. The incidents came as the EU struggles to keep a lid on soaring gas and electricity prices.

Sabotage is suspected, and some European officials and energy experts have said Russia is likely to blame since it directly benefits from higher energy prices and economic anxiety across Europe. But others cautioned against pointing fingers until investigators are able to determine what happened.

The leaks all were in international waters.

The leak from one Nord Stream 1 pipe and the leak from the Nord Stream 2 pipe are located within the Danish exclusive economic zone while the leak from the other Nord Stream 1 pipe is in the Swedish equivalent.

Short link: