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Pipeline news
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As I write this column at the end of September, the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines are leaking natural gas into the Baltic sea in four locations (two in the Danish exclusive economic zone, two in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone). Seismologists recorded explosions in Swedish and Danish waters near the island of Bornholm, and the pipelines have been documented bubbling gas into the sea, in patches up to 1 km across. Neither pipeline was operational at the SENIOR EDITOR Elizabeth Corner time of the breaches, but both were filled elizabeth.corner@palladianpublications.com with gas. Nord Stream 1 was shut down for maintenance, and Nord Stream 2 has never been put into service. Nevertheless, the damage sustained is likely to put both pipelines out of action forever.
The Nord Stream pipelines have long been a source of tension between Russia and Europe, but it’s not clear who might stand to benefit from damaging the lines. Many nations are foreseeing a new era of vulnerability, in which state-sponsored sabotage of energy assets becomes an increasingly real threat. Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said the country must prepare for previously “unimaginable” threats to its energy security after the pipeline leaks. “We have to adapt to scenarios that were previously unimaginable […] That requires strong security authorities with the necessary resources and powers.”
Since the leaks were discovered, Norway’s Prime Minister has declared that its military will be more visible at the site of energy assets. Jonas Gahr Støre told press that Norway would step up its military presence at oil and gas installations, after the country had become Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas. Norway has expressed concern about a number of recent sightings of unidentified drones and aircraft inside the safety exclusion zones that surround its oil and gas facilities.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is bracing itself for attack on another level: “The occupiers are preparing massive cyberattacks on critical infrastructure facilities of Ukraine and its allies,” according to a statement from Ukraine’s Defence Ministry.1 “The Kremlin plans to carry out massive cyberattacks on critical infrastructure facilities of Ukrainian enterprises and critical infrastructure institutions of Ukraine’s allies. First of all, the blow will be aimed at enterprises of the energy sector. The experience of cyberattacks on Ukraine’s energy systems in 2015 and 2016 will be used when conducting operations.”
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed capping the price of Russian oil and imposing further curbs on hi-tech trade, as part of its eighth round of sanctions. The sanctions are a response to Russia’s recent plans to formally annex four areas of Ukraine (after so-called referendums in the regions).
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has consistently denied Russian responsibility for Europe’s energy crisis and has previously said the EU can simply turn on the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline if it wants more natural gas from his country. “The bottom line is, if you have an urge, if it’s so hard for you, just lift the sanctions on Nord Stream 2, which is 55 billion m3/y, just push the button and everything will get going,” said Putin after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan.2
Regardless of who carried out the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, it’s clear that this button is no longer available for Europe to push.
WORLD NEWS
Nord Stream pipelines leak into Baltic Sea
Four leaks were identified in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on 27 and 28 September, according to Denmark and Sweden’s maritime authorities. The leaks are in Danish and Swedish waters, and the pipelines are expected to empty of natural gas within days. Operator Nord Stream has called the damage “unprecedented”.
Germany suspects the Nord Stream gas pipeline system was damaged by an act of sabotage, in what would amount to a major escalation in the energy standoff between Russia and Europe.
The European Union suspects deliberate damage was behind the gas leaks on the subsea Russian pipelines to Europe and has promised a “robust” response to any intentional disruption of its energy infrastructure.
Europe has accused Russia of weaponising energy supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia says the West has launched an economic war and sanctions have hampered pipeline operations.
The twin Nord Stream 1 pipelines, which run under the Baltic Sea to Germany, historically supplied about a third of the gas Russia exported to Europe but were running at just 20% of capacity before flows were halted last week for maintenance.
Nord Stream 1 is the single biggest pipeline for gas from Russia to Europe and has the capacity to deliver 55 billion m3/y of gas. Continued supplies through the pipeline are seen as crucial to prevent a deepening of the energy crisis. The Nord Stream 2 pipelines were filled with gas but had yet to enter commercial operations.
Russian gas being supplied via Ukraine, another major route, has also been reduced, leaving the EU racing to find alternative supplies to refill gas storage facilities for winter. Several states have trigger emergency plans that could lead to energy rationing and raising prospects for a recession.
DNV wins three year UK contract for safe use and conversion of pipelines to transport 100% hydrogen
DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, has been engaged to provide the evidence required to demonstrate the safe use and conversion of the local transmission systems (LTS) high pressure pipelines for transporting 100% hydrogen.
The gas distribution company SGN manages around 3100 km of the LTS pipelines in the UK, and is leading this project working in collaboration with the other UK gas networks.
The LTS is owned and operated by gas distribution networks. These are the pipelines that connect the high-pressure National Transmission System (NTS) with the lower pressure tiers. These pipelines are considered the ‘backbone’ of the energy network, currently delivering gas from NTS offtakes to towns and cities across the country.
Angus McIntosh, Director of Energy Futures, SGN says: “Repurposing the UK’s extensive gas networks to transport hydrogen offers an exciting opportunity to deliver deep decarbonisation of the energy system. We’re delighted to be working with DNV to undertake offsite testing at their Spadeadam facility. This testing is a key component of our overall programme and will provide critical evidence to support our live demonstration of a conversion of a 30 km natural gas pipeline to hydrogen. The evidence and outcomes will be representative and scalable to all local transmission assets in the UK, over 11 000 km of pipeline assets and associated plant.” DNV will be providing key safety and operational evidence by carrying out a series of offline tests for this project at their remote research facility in Cumbria, Northern England. The programme of work will demonstrate hot working on hydrogen pipelines, delayed ignition and over pressure tests, burst and fatigue tests, as well as exploring the hydrogen compatibility of existing pipeline connections and fittings. As the project progresses, DNV will also support a live network SGN trial by investigating the measurement and monitoring of a hydrogen linepack, (the volume of gas that can be ‘stored’ in a gas pipeline), on a section of the local transmission network. Hari Vamadevan, Regional Director UK & Ireland, Energy Systems at DNV says: “In the UK’s recently published Energy Security Strategy, hydrogen is referred to as a super-fuel. The UK is intending to lead the way in developing hydrogen as a key domestic energy carrier, indeed recently doubling their ambition to 10 GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. The existing infrastructure is in place, and SGN is making a huge effort to accelerate the UK’s progress towards net-zero.”
Williams has announced that it has acquired NorTex Midstream, a fully contracted natural gas pipeline and storage asset located in north Texas, from an affiliate of Tailwater Capital. The US$423 million transaction, which closed on 31 August 2022, includes approximately 80 miles of natural gas transmission pipelines and 36 billion ft3 of natural gas storage in the DallasFort Worth market.
The NorTex assets provide critical service to approximately 4 GW of gas fired power generation, enabling Texas energy providers to successfully meet peak demands. In addition to providing critical gas supply to power generation in north Texas, these assets also position Williams to provide storage services for Permian gas directed toward growing Gulf Coast LNG demand. “Serving one the fastest growing population centres in the United States, this irreplaceable natural gas infrastructure is critical to bridging the gap between limited supplies and periods of peak demand, while supporting the viability of intermittent renewables like solar and wind,” said Williams President and CEO, Alan Armstrong. “During the extreme cold of Winter Storm Uri, the NorTex pipeline and storage facilities reliably provided gas to residential customers and electric power plants throughout the entire storm. We see significant upside to integrating these assets, especially when combined with our existing transmission and storage capabilities.”
