The gas pipelines are limited in number, apart from the Nord Stream pipelines and the Baltic Pipe which only pass within the Swedish economic zone, it is a connection to Denmark which supplies gas to the Swedish main grid.

Gas pipelines that pass through the Swedish economic zone.

Source: Openstreetmap / Submarinecablemap Photo: SVT Grafik

Export

But when it comes to electricity and communication, well then they are more.

When it comes to electricity, it is not least about the international connections to countries around the Baltic Sea and which lay the foundation for the Swedish export, and import, of electricity into Europe.

Should they be harmed, there will be consequences.  



- That would mean trade restrictions where we find it difficult to get rid of surplus electricity, but also that we find it more difficult to import when we have a need.

We can manage without a cable or something, it's not a crisis.

But with each component that disappears, the margins, the redundancy in the system, decrease, says Matz Tapper, responsible for Electrical Network Technology at Energiföretagen.

Photo: SVT Graphics

Domestic electricity supply

An overview of submarine cables for telecommunications and data communication between Sweden and other countries.

Sources: Openstreetmap / Submarinecablemap Photo: SVT Grafik

But the cables don't just run internationally, it's also about the electricity supply to Öland and Gotland, among others, which are not marked on the map above.  



- A damaged cable must be taken out of service and then it is a matter of a long repair process.

There are a limited number of specialists and vessels that can carry out this type of repair so it may take some time.

At least a month or so when it comes to major repairs.

In the meantime, affected islands have to run their reserve power fully, says Matz Tapper, responsible for Electrical Network Technology at Energiföretagen.


Difficult to protect

The system for how pipelines and cables run in the Baltic Sea is vulnerable and difficult to protect, among other things because it involves long distances and international waters where everyone has access.

- There are large distances and the cables are deep down, which makes it difficult to protect this infrastructure, says Henrik Wachtmeister, who researches global energy systems and teaches energy security at Uppsala University.

In order to protect himself against possible attacks in the future, he believes that patrolling and surveillance in the Baltic Sea will increase.

In the slightly longer term, it may be about building more monitoring into the systems.

- Anyone who wants to carry out something without being detected can have better conditions than on land, he says.