Balticonnector gas leak probably had 'external' cause

The leak on the Balticconnector gas pipeline has now been located in Finnish waters and was likely to have been a result of "external activity", although the exact cause is "not yet known", the office of the Finnish presidency said today.

The Balticconnector was taken off line on Sunday morning following a sudden drop in pressure resulting from a leak. Led by the Finnish national bureau of investigation (NBI), authorities in Finland have launched an investigation into the matter. Finland is collaborating closely with Estonian authorities, and Nato is also "ready to assist with the investigation", the Finnish president's office said. Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said that Nato is "sharing information and stands ready to support allies concerned". Finland is well prepared and these events "have no impact on our security of supply", the presidency said.

Based on information from the Finnish border guard, transmission system operator (TSO) Gasgrid Finland concluded that the damage was not caused by the normal gas transmission process. Similarly, Estonian TSO Elering's chief executive told state news agency ERR that the strong storms that hit the Baltic states and Finland over the weekend could essentially be ruled out as the cause, as the Balticconnector is "dredged into the seabed" and is therefore unlikely to have been hit by strong swells.

"Seismic data does not confirm an explosion, or if there was one, it was below the detection threshold," a senior geologist at Estonian geological service told ERR. "It is doubtful that an explosion that small could have damaged much of anything. But there is no seismic record of any such activity".

Timo Kilpelainen, head of the investigation department at the NBI, confirmed there was no evidence of an explosion so far, but said that "the size of the damage is such that it is an intentional act".

By Brendan A'Hearn