Nord Stream Gas Pipelines Bombing

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What are Nord Stream pipelines?
• What is the importance of this pipeline?
• News Summary: Nord Stream gas pipelines bombing
• Key highlights of the report

 

Why in news?

• According to a new report by veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines was ordered by the United States.
  • In September 2022, four leaks were reported at different points in the Nord Stream pipelines, linking Russia and Europe. 
  • Two of the leaks were in Swedish waters while the other two were reported from Danish waters.
  • Subsequent investigations revealed that the undersea explosions were responsible for these leakages.

 

What are Nord Stream pipelines?

• 

Image caption: Nord Stream Pipelines

• Nordstream consists of two pipelines, which have two lines each. 
• Nord Stream 1 was completed in 2011 and runs from Vyborg in Leningrad to Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany. 
• Nord Stream 2 which runs from Ust-Luga in Leningrad to Lubmin was completed in September 2021.
  • It has the capacity to handle 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year once it becomes operational.
• The twin pipelines together can transport a combined total of 110 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year to Europe for at least 50 years.
• The Nord Stream crosses the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of several countries including Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, and the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany. 
• In Germany, the pipeline connects to the OPAL (Baltic Sea Pipeline) and NEL (North European Pipeline) which further connects to the European grid.

 

What is the importance of Nord Stream pipeline?

• Increasing dependence of Europe on Russian gas
  • Europe requires more than 100 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas each year and around 40% of its gas comes from Russia. 
    • This gas is used for heating homes, factories, and offices in the harsh, long European winters and also for power generation.
  • Reducing dependence on Russian gas is difficult as there are no easy replacements. There is no infrastructure to import LNG from exporters like Qatar and the U.S.
  • Germany’s transition to cleaner fuels by phasing out nuclear power and cutting reliance on coal has increased its dependence on Russian gas.
• Cost effective mode
  • Nord Stream 2 is important because it eliminates the risks related with sending gas through transit countries.
  • It also cuts operating costs by doing away with transit fees and gives direct access to its most important European customer, Germany. 
  • It increases Europe’s dependence on Russia while giving it a reliable customer.
• Importance for Russia
  • As for Russia, which has the largest natural gas reserves in the world, around 40% of its budget comes from sales of gas and oil.

 

News Summary: Nord Stream gas pipelines bombing

• The September 2022 bombing of the undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines was carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a covert operation at the direction of the White House.
• This has been claimed by a report prepared by veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.
  • Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has previously worked with The New York Times and The New Yorker magazine.
  • He published the findings of his investigation on Substack.
• President Joe Biden’s administration has denied the allegations and called the report utterly false and complete fiction.

 

Key highlights of the report

• Responsible actors
  • The report claimed that US Navy divers, operating under cover of a mid-summer 2022 NATO exercise, planted remotely triggered bombs to destroy three of the four Nord Stream pipelines.
• Why US gave such order?
  • As per the report, Germany and much of western Europe were dependent on the Nord Stream pipelines for a cheap supply of gas.
  • Hence, US feared that as long as these countries remain dependent on these pipelines, they would be hesitant in providing aid and arms to Ukraine against Russian invasion.
    • Once the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, Russia sought to use the pipeline to negotiate its interests by restricting supplies.

 

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Q1) Which are Baltic countries?

The Baltic States, also known as the Baltic countries, is a geopolitical term that usually refers to the three sovereign states on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

 

Q2) What is the Baltic Sea known for?

The Baltic Sea is the youngest sea on the planet, almost enclosed, experiencing near-arctic conditions and is one of the world's largest brackish waters.

 

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Source: US bombed Nord Stream gas pipelines, says top investigative journalist. What happened under the Baltic Sea last year?   |   Indian Express