Denmark gives permission for preservation work on damaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline

The Danish Energy Agency has granted permission to Nord Stream 2 AG to preserve the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea that suffered damage in September 2022 following an explosion.

The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines run from Vyborg, Russia, to Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany, and cross the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, as well as the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany.

Germany, Sweden and Denmark each initiated respective national investigations after four gas leaks were found on the pipelines in September 2022, two in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and two in the Danish territory.

In February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation saying it lacked jurisdiction in the case, shortly followed by Denmark doing the same.

The damaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline A is estimated to contain approximately 9-10 million Sm3 of remaining natural gas, while the Nord Stream 2 pipeline B is intact and gas-filled to approximately 54 bar, reduced from 103 bar.

The Danish Energy Agency, which is under international law obliged to permit the establishment and operation of pipeline facilities on the Danish continental shelf, on January 28 granted a permit to Nord Stream 2 AG to carry out works at and on Nord Stream 2 which aim to preserve the damaged pipeline by installing specially manufactured plugs at each of the open pipe ends to prevent further gas blowout and injection of oxygenated seawater.

The permit has been granted on a number of conditions that are intended to ensure safe operation of the pipeline, the Danish Energy Agency said, explaining that, among other things, the company must submit an annual plan for the pipeline facility so that the agency can continuously monitor its plans for the facility’s future.

Nord Stream 2 AG plans to carry out the work in the second or third quarter of 2025, expected to last two to three weeks.

The company, based in Zug, Switzerland, is an international consortium of five companies established in 2005 for the planning, construction and subsequent operation of the two natural gas pipelines. The five shareholders are Gazprom, Wintershall Dea, PEG Infrastruktur (E.ON), N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie and ENGIE.