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NORD STREAM

Sweden, Denmark and Norway block Nord Stream from examining pipeline 

Nord Stream, the company which owns and operates the gas pipeline hit by suspected sabotage last month, has said it cannot examine the pipeline because it has not been given permission by the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian authorities. 

Sweden, Denmark and Norway block Nord Stream from examining pipeline 
A man working at the landfall area of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, northeastern Germany. Photo: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Sca

The twin Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines have been leaking huge quantities of gas since they were damaged in a series of suspected explosions on September 26th. 

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Nord Stream AG, the company which owns and operates the pipelines, said it had so far been unable to carry out its own inspections. 

“As of today, Nord Stream AG is unable to inspect the damaged sections of the gas pipeline due to the lack of earlier requested necessary permits,” the company, which is 51 percent owned by the Russian gas giant Gazprom, wrote. 

“In particular,” it added, “according to the Swedish authorities, a ban on shipping, anchoring, diving, using of underwater vehicles, geophysical mapping, etc. has been introduced to conduct a state investigation around the damage sites in the Baltic Sea.”

“According to information received from the Danish authorities, the processing time of the Nord Stream AG request for the survey may take more than 20 working days.”

The company said it was also being blocked by Norwegian authorities. 

Nord Stream has chartered “an appropriately equipped” survey vessel in Norway, the company wrote, but the vessel has been denied the “green light from Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” to depart for the Baltic.

Swedish prosecutors on Monday imposed a ban on all marine traffic, submarines and drones on the entire region around the leaks, with some commentators questioning the legality of the ban.

The prosecutors say they have made the decision because police are carrying out “a crime scene investigation”. 

“The investigation continues, we are in an intensive stage. We have good cooperation with several authorities in the matter. I understand the great public interest, but we are at the beginning of a preliminary investigation and I therefore cannot go into details about which investigative measures we are taking,” prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a press release. 

Sweden’s security police Säpo took over the investigation from the police on September 28th, on the grounds that the suspected crime “could at least partly have been directed at Swedish interests”. 

“It cannot be ruled out that a foreign power lies behind this,” it said in a press release. Ljungqvist leads the Swedish prosecution agency’s National Unit for Security Cases.

In a statement on Sunday, Säpo said they were working “intensively” with the Swedish Coast Guard and the Swedish Armed Forces to investigate who might be responsible for the sabotage.

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ENERGY

Are Denmark’s gas prices returning to pre-energy crisis level?

Since energy prices peaked in autumn 2022, the cost of gas has fallen in Denmark. Has it returned to previous levels?

Are Denmark's gas prices returning to pre-energy crisis level?

The average price of gas fell by 44.7 percent for households in Denmark in the second half of 2023, according to data released by the Danish Energy Agency this week.

This means that gas customers in the country paid an average of 3.55 kroner per cubic Nm less for gas in the second half of 2023 than they did in the first half of the year.

The gas price for private (as well as business) customers during the period fell by more than the spot or market price of the commodity, the Agency notes. The spot price on the Danish market fell by 7.4 percent.

This is because the price paid by customers was higher than the spot price. It remained higher despite dropping in price by a greater percentage.

On average, households paid 1.01 kroner per cubic Nm more than the gas spot price.

Despite a significant drop in 2023, the price of gas has not returned to pre-energy crisis levels.

A table published by the Energy agency shows the price paid by private gas customers in each six-month period since 2020. The table is further broken down into three bands based on consumption levels.

The price paid for gas per unit for three consumption bands (D1, D2, D3) for each half-year period since 2020. Graphic: Danish Energy Agency press release

For each of the three consumption categories, the price paid for gas can be seen rising from the beginning of 2021 and hitting a very high level in the second half of 2022.

Following the steep drop of price seen in the second half of last year, gas customers in each of the three bands are now paying slightly less per unit than they were in late 2021 (as of H2 in 2023).

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