Report Wire

Tag: Nord stream

  • Putin presents Europe fuel via Nord Stream 2, Germany declines

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday supplied to renew fuel provides to Europe via the intact a part of the Nord Stream 2 fuel pipeline.

    “The ball is in the EU’s court. If they want to, then the taps can be turned on and that’s it,” he mentioned in a speech at an vitality discussion board in Moscow.

    Germany, nonetheless, mentioned it will not take Russian fuel by way of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that has turn out to be a flashpoint within the Ukraine disaster.

    Asked if Berlin would rule out the usage of Nord Stream 2, German authorities spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann mentioned, “Yes.”

    “Independently of the possible sabotage of the two pipelines, we have seen that Russia is no longer a reliable energy supplier, and that even before the damage to Nord Stream 1 there was no longer any gas flowing,” Hoffmann instructed reporters.

    Massive quantities of fuel had been launched into the Baltic Sea after each hyperlinks of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and one of many two hyperlinks of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline had been ruptured on September 26.

    Russia had already halted fuel deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in early September, citing technical issues. Nord Stream 2 by no means grew to become operational as Germany halted its approval after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    Putin mentioned it was potential to restore the pipelines however that Russia and Europe ought to resolve their destiny.

    Nord Stream repairs may take a yr

    The Russian invasion prompted European consumers to begin the method of weaning themselves off Russian oil and fuel and search for different suppliers.

    Speaking on the similar discussion board as Putin, Alexei Miller, head of Russian vitality firm Gazprom, mentioned repairs to the broken Nord Stream pipelines would take at the very least a yr.

    He added there was “no guarantee” that Europe would survive winter primarily based on its present fuel storage capability.

    Germany’s fuel storage amenities are almost 95% full, and officers say the nation is well-placed to get via the winter, although efforts to avoid wasting fuel might be mandatory.

    Putin moots main fuel hub in Turkey

    Ahead of a gathering along with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin proposed the creation of an vitality hub in Turkey.

    “We could move the lost volumes from the Nord Streams along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea region and thus make the main routes for the supply of our fuel, our natural gas to Europe through Turkey, creating the largest gas hub for Europe in Turkey,” he mentioned.

    Russia is the world’s second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and the highest pure fuel exporter.

  • UN: Nord Stream rupture could mark largest single methane launch ever recorded

    The ruptures on the Nord Stream pure gasoline pipeline system below the Baltic Sea have led to what’s probably the largest single launch of climate-damaging methane ever recorded, the United Nations Environment Programme stated on Friday.

    An enormous plume of extremely concentrated methane, a greenhouse gasoline much more potent however shorter-lived than carbon dioxide, was detected in an evaluation this week of satellite tv for pc imagery by researchers related to UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory, or IMEO, the group stated.

    “This is really bad, most likely the largest emission event ever detected,” Manfredi Caltagirone, head of the IMEO for UNEP, told Reuters. “This is not helpful in a moment when we absolutely need to reduce emissions.”

    Researchers at GHGSat, which uses satellites to monitor methane emissions, estimated the leak rate from one of four rupture points was 22,920 kilograms per hour. That is equivalent to burning about 630,000 pounds of coal every hour, GHGSat said in a statement.

    “This price could be very excessive, particularly contemplating it is 4 days following the preliminary breach,” the company said.

    A satellite image shows gas from the Nord Stream pipeline bubbling up in the water following incidents in the Baltic Sea. (Photo: Reuters)

    The total amount of methane leaking from the Gazprom-led pipeline system may be higher than from a major leak that occurred in December from offshore oil and gas fields in Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which spilled around 100 metric tons of methane per hour, Caltagirone said.

    The Gulf of Mexico leak, also viewable from space, ultimately released around 40,000 metric tons of methane over 17 days, according to a study conducted by the Polytechnic University of Valencia and published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

    That is the equivalent of burning 1.1 billion pounds of coal, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

    Improved satellite technology has rapidly enhanced the ability of scientists to find and analyze greenhouse gas emissions in recent years, something some governments hope will help companies detect and prevent methane emissions.

    The major leaks that suddenly erupted in the Nord Stream gas pipelines that run from Russia to Europe have generated plenty of theories but few clear answers about who or what caused the damage. Both Russia and the European Union have suggested the ruptures were caused by saboteurs.

    Europe and the United States have heaped sanctions on Moscow in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, raising worries the Kremlin will seek to deprive Europe of crucial energy supplies leading into the winter.

    Caltagirone stated, regardless of the trigger, the harm to the pipeline posed an issue past power safety. “This is the most wasteful way to generate emissions,” he stated.

    — ENDS —

  • Nato calls Nord Stream pipeline leaks deliberate acts of sabotage

    Nato has referred to as the Nord Stream pipeline leaks within the Baltic Sea as deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage.

    A collection of bizarre leaks on two pure fuel pipelines working from Russia to Germany have triggered considerations about potential sabotage. (Photo: AP)

    The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or Nato has referred to as the Nord Stream pipeline leaks within the Baltic sea deliberate acts of sabotage. Leaks in two fuel pipelines — Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 — off Nato member Denmark and would-be member Sweden in worldwide waters within the Baltic Sea have raised considerations amid the continuing Russia-Ukraine struggle.

    “All currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage,” Nato stated in a press release on Thursday.

    These leaks are inflicting dangers to delivery and substantial environmental harm, it added.

    READ | How Nord Stream pipeline leak is a risk to local weather

    On Thursday, a fourth fuel leak was found by Sweden’s coast guard within the broken Nord Stream pipeline, fuelling the ‘sabotage’ hypothesis.

    The leaks got here even because the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has not been operational since August when Russia closed it down for ‘upkeep’. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, although accomplished, by no means grew to become operational for the reason that struggle broke out in Ukraine. European nations see it as the following step of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

    ALSO READ | Nord Stream pipeline Leak: What has unfolded up to now

    — ENDS —

  • From SWIFT ban to no-fly zones, listing of sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine

    During his first State of the Union handle on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden introduced that each one Russian plane will likely be banned from coming into the US airspace.

    “Tonight, I’m announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on their economy,” he mentioned.

    The announcement comes shut on the heels of comparable strikes by Canada and the European Union to ban Russian planes from coming into their airspace.

    Earlier, a number of nations has imposed sturdy sanctions on Russia in retaliation for his or her invasion of Ukraine.

    The European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada have banned sure Russian banks from SWIFT. Earlier, Germany had halted certification of the Nord Stream 2 gasoline pipeline in retaliation to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

    The US and its allies have imposed sanctions on Russia’s central financial institution and sovereign wealth funds. US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen mentioned in a press release, “The unprecedented action we are taking today will significantly limit Russia’s ability to use assets to finance its destabilizing activities, and target the funds Putin and his inner circle depend on to enable his invasion of Ukraine.”

    Russia has been hit the toughest by the financial sanctions imposed on it, with the rouble sliding 30% in opposition to the greenback on Monday and the Russian central financial institution doubling rates of interest.

    According to a Reuters report, a senior US administrator instructed journalists, “Putin’s war chest of $630bn of reserves only matters if he can use it to defend his currency, specifically by selling those reserves in exchange for buying the rouble,” the official mentioned. “After today’s action, that will no longer be possible and ‘Fortress Russia’ will be exposed as a myth.”

    List of sanctions

    US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has introduced that Russian monetary establishments, such because the Russian Central Bank, will likely be barred from making transactions in American {dollars}.

    Saying “Putin chose this war”, Biden imposed harsh sanctions final week. In a press release, the White House mentioned “this includes Russia-wide restrictions on semiconductors, telecommunication, encryption security, lasers, sensors, navigation, avionics and maritime technologies.”

    It added that it will lower off 13 main state-owned firms from elevating cash within the United States, together with vitality big Gazprom and Sberbank.

    The UK additionally mentioned that it will stop Sberbank, whereas three extra Russian banks—Otkritie, Sovcombank and VEB—will face a full asset freeze.

    “We will continue on a remorseless mission to squeeze Russia, from the global economy, piece by piece. Day by day, and week by week,” UK PM Boris Johnson mentioned.

    Other international locations have additionally adopted go well with.  Australia mentioned that it will “begin imposing further sanctions on oligarchs, whose economic weight is of strategic significance to Moscow and over 300 members of the Russian Duma, their parliament.” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern introduced that they might lower off commerce with Russia and impose journey bans in opposition to Russian officers.

    French finance minister Bruno Le Maire mentioned on Monday, “We are pursuing the complete census of financial assets, real estate, yachts and luxury vehicles that would belong to Russian personalities under European sanctions.”

    Switzerland mentioned that it was adopting the EU’s sanctions in opposition to Russia, including, “Russia’s unprecedented military attack on a sovereign European country was the deciding factor in the Federal Council’s decision to change its previous stance on sanctions.”

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has mentioned the sanctions will paralyse Russia’s central financial institution belongings and inflict “maximum impact on the Russian economy and political elite.”

    “We will hold the Kremlin accountable,” she mentioned.

    EU approves new sanctions in opposition to Belarus

    Reuters reported that European Union diplomats have authorised new sanctions in opposition to Belarus for its supporting position in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the French Presidency of the EU mentioned on Wednesday.

    EU diplomats authorised new sanctions in opposition to Belarusian people who find themselves enjoying a task within the assaults to Ukraine, the French Presidency mentioned on Twitter.

    Sanctions will even hit “some economic sectors, and in particular timber, steel and potassium,” the assertion mentioned.

    Contrary voices

    China won’t be part of others in imposing monetary sanctions on Russia, the nation’s financial institution regulator mentioned on Wednesday.

    “We will not join such sanctions, and we will keep normal economic, trade and financial exchanges with all the relevant parties,” Guo Shuqing, the chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, mentioned on Wednesday.

    Shuqing added, “We disapprove of the financial sanctions, particularly those launched unilaterally, because they don’t have much legal basis and will not have good effects.”

    (With company inputs)