The day after the announcement of a leak in the parallel Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline linking Russia to Germany was in turn affected by two very rare gas leaks in the Baltic Sea, the authorities indicated on Tuesday. authorities of the two Nordic countries.

Copenhagen immediately placed its energy infrastructure on alert, while considering that it was "too early" to comment on the causes of these simultaneous incidents.

Objects of geopolitical arm wrestling in recent months, the two pipelines operated by a consortium dependent on the Russian giant Gazprom are not operational because of the consequences of the war in Ukraine.

But both were still filled with gas.

The Danish authorities confirmed Tuesday morning "two more leaks in the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which is also not operational, but which contains gas", indicated the Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, Dan Jørgensen.

A spokesperson for the Swedish maritime authority confirmed to AFP the detection of the two new leaks, located as for Nord Stream 2 off the Danish island of Bornholm.

The leaks on Nord Stream 1 take place outside territorial waters but one is in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark, the other in that of Sweden.

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"Extremely rare"

The Danish authorities have also raised the vigilance level of the electricity and gas sector to orange level, the second highest.

"Gas pipeline leaks are extremely rare and we therefore see a reason to increase the level of vigilance following the incidents we have witnessed in the last 24 hours," said the director of the Danish agency in a press release. energy, Kristoffer Böttzauw, promising "thorough monitoring of Denmark's critical infrastructure".

Concrete measures to increase the safety of factories and installations will have to be put in place by companies in the sector.

Built in parallel to the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was intended to double the capacity for importing Russian gas into Germany.

But its impending commissioning has been suspended, in retaliation for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

German authorities did not immediately comment.

But according to a source close to the German government, quoted by the German daily Taggesspiegel "everything speaks against a coincidence".

"We cannot imagine a scenario that is not a targeted attack," said this source.

As with the leak noted the day before on Nord Stream 2, security measures have been taken.

Navigation within a radius of five nautical miles (about 9 kilometers), as well as their overflight within a radius of one kilometer are prohibited.

According to the authorities, the incidents have no consequences for the safety or health of residents of the neighboring Danish islands of Bornholm and Christiansø.

In addition, the country's energy supply is not affected.

Monday evening, the operator of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines had reported an unexplained drop in pressure in the first gas pipeline, after the detection of a leak in the second.

© 2022 AFP