Baltic —
Norway and Lithuania are tightening security at land-based energy installations, following a gas pipeline leak in the Baltic Sea on Sunday. Meanwhile, Finland recommended that energy operators be more vigilant about security.
On Tuesday (10/10), Helsinki said the damage to the Baltic connector between Estonia and Finland was caused by “external activity” and that the cause was being investigated. This sparked concerns about regional energy security and pushed up gas prices.
“We have increased our focus on preventative patrols at oil and gas installations in our region,” Helge Blindheim, head of operations at the West Norway police district, told BA daily. The district has one oil terminal, Mongstad, and two gas processing plants, Kollsnes and Kaarstoe.
The Norwegian police are responsible for the security of land-based installations, such as gas processing plants and oil terminals. Meanwhile, the military is responsible for offshore platforms and pipeline networks. The military has increased Navy patrols and received assistance from NATO allies to protect offshore platforms following the explosion on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022.
Norway is Europe’s largest gas supplier and Western Europe’s largest oil producer. The country exported more than 120 billion cubic meters of gas in 2022, mainly through a system of 22 pipelines over 8,800 kilometers long.
Finland has also instructed energy operators to be more vigilant about security due to incidents in the Baltic Sea. Likewise, Lithuania, neighboring Estonia, increased security alerts at the Klaipeda liquefied natural gas import terminal, gas pipelines and other strategic energy assets as a result of damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline. (ka/lt)