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Russia plans to mothball damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines

Russia is expected to mothball the Nord Stream undersea natural gas pipelines damaged in the sabotage last autumn.

The Nord Stream pipelines have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions in recent months as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe
The Nord Stream pipelines have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions in recent months as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe - Copyright AFP Andreas SOLARO
The Nord Stream pipelines have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions in recent months as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe - Copyright AFP Andreas SOLARO

Russia is expected to mothball the Nord Stream undersea natural gas pipelines damaged in the sabotage last autumn.

Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas a year to Germany under the Baltic Sea, according to CTV News Canada.

Three of the pipes were ruptured by unexplained blasts believed to be sabotage, in September, and one of the Nord Stream 2 pipes remains intact.

By September, soaring tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had already brought Nord Stream 1 to a standstill and prevented its twin from ever getting started. Further criticism of Russian actions by Kyiv and Washington made it unlikely that the pipelines would ever come online.

Earlier this year, Klaus-Dieter Maubach, the outgoing CEO at German energy giant Uniper, which was Russia’s top gas customer before Moscow cut off supply via Nord Stream, said that the pipeline could be repaired within a year, according to OilPrice.

Last month, Russia called for an international investigation into the sabotage of Nord Stream after a U.S. investigative journalist wrote that the United States was behind the explosions of the gas pipelines.

On Friday, Reuters, quoting unnamed sources reported that Russia plans to seal up the ruptured pipelines and mothball them as it doesn’t see relations with the West improving soon.

This means the pipelines are unlikely to be needed and therefore won’t need to undergo repairs, the sources told Reuters.

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