Denmark’s Energy Agency has ordered the national infrastructure operator to raise its alert level to orange, the second highest level, amid multiple Nord Stream leaks.
The Energy Agency confirmed that it requested Energinet, the company responsible for operating the Danish electricity and gas system, to change the alert level following reports of the leak.
“Breaches of gas pipelines occur extremely rarely, and we, therefore, see the need to raise the alert level as a result of the events we have seen during the last day,” Danish Energy Agency director Kristoffer Böttzauw said.
“We want to ensure thorough observation of Denmark’s critical infrastructure to strengthen supply security going forward,” he said.
The alert level has been raised to orange, the second-highest level.
The orange level means that companies in the sector must be alert to security at their facilities.
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The higher alert level means that “the physical security of vital buildings and installations is checked,” Böttzauw told news wire Ritzau.
“You make sure that fences are intact, that security cameras are working, and that there are regular patrols. And you limit access as much as possible,” he said.
The energy agency director did not speculate on the cause of the leakages.
The leaks occurred on sections of the Nord Stream 2 and Nord Stream 1 Russia-to-Europe gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
“It’s too early to say [what caused it],” he said.
“We will naturally do all we can to investigate together with the relevant authorities, including the military and police,” he said.
The leaks were found Monday evening, an hour after a pressure drop was reported in Nord Stream 2, according to the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA).
One of the leaks occurred in the Danish economic zone and the other in the Swedish economic zone.
On Monday, Danish F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to photograph the area after the leaks were reported.
One of the aircraft observed the “sea bubbling” at a location southeast of Bornholm, according to Newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Meanwhile, the Danish Navy frigate Absalon was sent to the area around Bornholm, broadcaster DR reports.
The frigate will observe the area, warning civil maritime traffic to keep a distance from the leaks, according to DR.
Read that there were three leaks… mighty suspicious… now who would benefit the most? Ruuuusssiaaa?? Who has the means to dive down with personnel or RVs and perform some monkey business in the deep… hmm. Europeans sucked themselves into their own demise this winter… and Uncle Joe has no means to bail out our partners by opening up the natural gas gusher we’re sitting on here in the US. Oh well, can’t fix stupid.
Ideally, bombs were planted to damage it in several places.