The Danish Ministry of Energy allows Nord Stream AG to inspect the damaged parts of the pipelines. This emerges from a document available to Business Insider.
In November, the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines were severely damaged in explosions. So far there have been no joint investigations.
It is unclear why Nord Stream AG now wants to examine the sites. The company recently announced that it would not put the pipelines back into operation.
In September, several explosions rocked the Baltic Sea. It quickly became clear that the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines had been intentionally damaged. An act of sabotage. However, it is still unclear who is behind the explosion. The investigations are also not going smoothly because the countries involved, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, cannot agree on a joint investigation. It has not yet been possible to determine who is responsible for the sabotage of the important pipeline.
Germany, Sweden and Denmark have each examined the site. But in addition to the states, the operator, Nord Stream AG, also wants to examine the pipeline and has asked the relevant authorities in Denmark to do so. A document obtained by Business Insider now shows that Nord Stream AG will be allowed a 10-day investigation by the Danish Ministry of Energy until May. She applied for permission on December 9th.
intentions unclear
Nord Stream AG was granted a smaller investigation back in November. Special equipment is now to take samples from the sea floor – as a precursor to further larger investigations. It is not clear what Nord Stream AG intends to do with the investigations. The company has not yet responded to a request from Business Insider. The Danish Ministry of Energy also did not comment.
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The step is surprising in any case. Because just a few days ago announced Nord Stream AG, which is mothballing pipeline projects to want. There was speculation recently about a repair of the pipelines, but the company actually gave a clear refusal.
Denmark claims collected data
The company is unlikely to be concerned with clarifying the question of the perpetrator. Nord Stream AG is 51 percent owned by the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, other parts are held by European energy companies, including Eon, for example.
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However, Denmark seems keen to use the data collected during the research mission itself. The investigations were allowed on condition that the Danish Ministry of Defense has access to all data, the document said.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline supplied Germany with gas from Russia until the summer of 2022. Even before the act of sabotage, Russia was repeatedly cutting back deliveries. Since then, Germany has relied primarily on imports from Norway and is building its own LNG terminals at high speed in order to be able to import liquid gas. Germany is no longer dependent on gas from Russia.