The Norwegian seismological institute NORSAR recorded a “possible explosion” in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia on Sunday night, where a leak from the Balticconnector gas pipeline was later detected, the institute announced on Tuesday.
/nginx/o/2023/10/10/15646767t1hf54a.jpg "Abroad Yesterday, 20:593 Recorded by the institute in Norway \"possible explosion\" before leaking from \"Balticconnector\" 2")
The Norwegian seismological institute NORSAR recorded a “possible explosion” in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia on Sunday night, where a leak from the Balticconnector gas pipeline was later detected, the institute announced on Tuesday.
“NORSAR detected a possible explosion on the Finnish coast of the Baltic Sea on October 8, 2023 at 1:20 a.m. (10:20 p.m. GMT),” the independent institute writes on its website.
However, both Estonian and Finnish seismologists have confirmed that recently there has been no recorded seismic activity corresponding to an explosion, which could result in significant damage to the pipeline.
The Estonian transmission system operator “Elering” and the Finnish system operator “Gasgrid Finland” closed “Balticconnector” on the night of Sunday, as a drop in pressure in the pipeline was observed shortly before 2 a.m., indicating a possible gas leak. According to estimates, the operation of the gas pipeline has been suspended for several months.
“Balticconnector” between Paldiski and Inko is 77 kilometers long. It was put into operation at the beginning of 2020.
