Russian Deputy PM: Possible Restoration of Nord Stream

October 03, 2022

According to the TASS news agency, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated on Sunday that it was theoretically feasible to repair the Nord Stream gas pipelines’ damaged offshore infrastructure. A significant drop in gas pressure allowed for the detection of a total of four leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea close to Denmark and Sweden last week.

“Such incidents have never happened. Although there are technical ways to rebuild the infrastructure, doing so takes time and the right resources. I have no doubt that the necessary options will be discovered,” Novak said.

Denmark’s Energy Agency reported on Sunday that Nord Stream AG had informed it that stable pressure had been reached in Nord Stream 1, formerly the main supply route for Russian gas to Europe, indicating the last leaks had stopped. Nord Stream 1 was once the largest single supply route for Russian gas to Europe.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which had stored some gas despite never becoming operational, was no longer releasing it, according to Nord Stream AG on Saturday. States of the European Union assert that they think sabotage was to blame for the damage, although they and other Western governments have refrained from making a formal accusation. The White House has refuted the assertion made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that the United States and its allies were at fault.

The United States, Ukraine, and Poland had opposed the Nord Stream pipelines, according to Novak, as reported by TASS. He continued by saying that people who opposed the project had a stake in seeing the pipes shut down.

Although the Nord Stream 1 pipeline was already closed, it is now difficult to restore it. After being constructed in September 2021, the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline was not yet in use.

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