Tough Nord Stream repair will need skilled workers

Repairs to the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea, damaged by alleged explosions, could be difficult–even more so because of increasing Western sanctions against Russia, says an industry source.

Swedish and Danish investigators are examining two leaks on the Nord Stream pipeline and one on Nord Stream 2, allegedly caused by sabotage.

Each of the pipes was designed to deliver 55 billion cubic metres a year from Russia to Germany, although Nord Stream 2 never started because of the Ukraine Crisis, and Russia had suspended flows through Nord Stream, so neither was flowing during the incident.

The complex repairs are likely to keep Nord Stream out of action at least until spring and potentially for over a year. Until damage assessments are made public, it will be impossible to assess the difficulty of repairs, which Moscow says must include Russian company Gazprom  — which owns 51% of Nord Stream and 100% of Nord Stream 2 — as at least the majority owner of both pipes.

With energy supplies increasingly being used as a weapon in the Ukraine conflict by both Russia and the West, cooperation will be challenging, particularly given US sanctions against Gazprom and more recent measures limiting the supply of goods and services to Russia.

And with Germany cutting Russian gas imports down from 40% to just 9% of its total supplies, Gazprom may not even consider the potentially costly repairs worth attempting.

If the repairs do go ahead, there will be considerable demand for skilled workers to carry out the complex task, including opportunities for UK and EU workers. If you’d be interested in working on Nord Stream, sign up with us today to be the first to know.