– According to the preliminary assessment, the damage cannot have occurred as a result of normal use or pressure fluctuations. It is likely that the damage is the result of external activity, says Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at a press conference this afternoon. During the night to Sunday, the pressure dropped in one of the lines that connect the northern European gas network. The cause is a break in the line, confirms the Finnish gas operator Gasgrid. Both the security police and the defense in Finland are working to investigate the case. Deputy managing director Arve Mjelva at the Norwegian research institute Norsar tells VG that they registered that there was “a small tremor in the ground there on the night of 8 October”. Mjelva tells the newspaper that the tremor was picked up by a seismic station in Finland, and describes it as a much smaller event than what was recorded during the Nord Stream sabotage last year. Finnish Prime Minister Orpo emphasizes this afternoon that the investigation is at a very early stage. He says that in the current tense international situation, it is very important not to draw hasty conclusions. The Finnish authorities are monitoring the situation closely and are prioritizing resources in this case, but the general level of preparedness in Finland is currently being kept unchanged. Suspect sabotage President Sauli Niinistö Photo: Miguel Angelo Pereira / AP Finland’s president also pointed out earlier today that the damage is probably due to external activity. – It is likely that the damage to both the gas pipe and the communication cable is the result of external activity, President Sauli Niinistö wrote on X/Twitter today. – The causes of the damage are not yet clear, the investigation continues in cooperation between Finland and Estonia. We are in constant contact with our allies. Today I had a conversation with NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Nato is ready to assist in the investigation, Niinistö wrote. According to Criminal Inspector Timo Kilpeläinen, the Finnish Criminal Police KRP has launched a preliminary investigation into the case today. They are investigating it as aggravated vandalism, which is based on the suspicion that the damage to the gas pipeline was caused by an outside operator. However, Kilpeläinen emphasizes that the investigation is in an early phase. Prime Minister Orpo also states that a cable for data traffic has been damaged in Estonian territorial waters. – The Estonian navy is investigating what has happened to that cable, says Orpo and adds that he is in close contact with both the EU and the Estonian Prime Minister. Will not speculate whether Russia is behind Neither the prime minister nor the KRP will speculate whether Russia may be behind the supposed sabotage. – It is important that the matter is investigated thoroughly, and that no hasty conclusions are drawn at this time. When asked how seriously Orpo regards the fact that a possible attack has been carried out on the infrastructure of two NATO countries, he replies: – The world political situation is critical and is such that we have prepared for various situations. No explosion detected Balticconnector is a gas pipeline that runs from Ingå in Finland to Paldiski in Estonia, and has been in operation since 2020. Now the line is out of service. – We noticed that the pressure suddenly dropped last Sunday night in the line between Finland and Estonia, and quite quickly we managed to minimize the gas leak. But at the moment we can ascertain that there is a breach, says Janne Grönlund, head of Gasgrid. The company does not want to say anything about what they suspect is the cause. It is considered a security incident. According to Estonia’s Geological Research Centre, no seismic activity indicating an explosion has been detected near the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia. Director of the Department of Seismology, Timo Tiira, says no explosion has been detected near the pipeline in Finland. – A very small explosion would not necessarily have been registered, but a larger explosion has not been detected. At the time of the leak, there was stormy weather, which may affect the fact that it was not discovered, says Tiira to Finnish Yle. GAS PIPELINE: The pipeline between Finland and Estonia has been in operation since 2020. The site of the accident has been found The Finnish Safety Police confirms to SVT that they cooperated with Gasgrid and other authorities. The Finnish border guard is also involved in the investigations. During the day, several Finnish vessels were observed near the pipeline, including at least one military patrol vessel, writes SVT. The government writes that the authorities have located the point of damage in the Balticconnector gas pipeline. In addition, a fault has also been found in the communication cable between the countries. According to Gasgrid, the Balticconnector gas pipeline may be out of service for several months. The availability of gas in Finland should remain good thanks to the fact that the country also has a floating LNG terminal. No new measures in Norway No new safety measures have been implemented in Norway as a result of the leak, according to Gassco, which is responsible for gas from the Norwegian continental shelf to Europe. – This is not infrastructure that is connected to the Norwegian infrastructure, but we are following the matter. The security level has been raised since the incidents last year, says Linda Nordbø, communications manager and press contact at Gassco. Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) says that Norway is awaiting more information from the Finnish authorities. – We are following the situation and await more information about the incident from the Finnish authorities, writes Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland (Ap) in an email to NTB. One year since the Nord Stream explosion It is just over a year since the Nord Stream gas pipelines were blown up. On 26 September 2022, four explosions were recorded along the four pipes that make up Nord Stream 1 and 2, the four gas pipelines from Russia to northern Germany through the Baltic Sea. The first speculations in the West pointed towards Russia, and that they were trying to put additional pressure on Europe by creating energy shortages. Russia pointed out that it was the West and the USA that had wanted to stop Russian gas exports. Later, the focus has been directed towards the sailing boat Andromeda and what may point in the direction of an operation carried out by people connected to Ukrainian intelligence. Clarification: In an earlier version of this case, Prime Minister Orpo was quoted as suspecting sabotage. Finnish Yle first used this word, but later changed the quote to say that the leak cannot be due to normal use.
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Gas leak outside Finland – the authorities point to external activity – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
