An aerial shot of an oil port in Turku, Finland. Credit: Matti Salminen via Shutterstock.

The Balticconnector pipeline that transports natural gas from Finland to Estonia has been shut down after a leak was suspected in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A sharp drop in pressure in the pipeline triggered initial warnings of a possible puncture. Hourly data from Estonia’s transmission system operator, Elering, analysed by Reuters, showed a sudden drop in pressure at 23:00 GMT from 34.5 bar to around 12 bar. A further decline to just 6 bar occurred approximately one hour later, suggesting that gas had escaped into the surrounding ocean.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Finnish state-owned gas system operator Gasgrid said in a statement that repairing the pipeline, which extends 77km between the two countries, could take months if the suspected leak is confirmed.

“If it appears that the unusual pressure drop observed in the morning of Oct. 8 … is due to a leak [that] caused damage to the pipe, repair work may take at least several months depending on nature of the damage,” Gasgrid added.

An Investigation to determine the state of damage to the pipeline is ongoing, but Finland’s gas system remains “stable”, while the supply of gas is secure through the Inkoo LNG (liquid natural gas) floating terminal “for the time being”, the operator said.

The Balticconnector has an annual capacity of 2.6 billion cubic metres and can transport gas in either direction, depending on where demand is greatest. At the time of the incident, it was transporting approximately 30 gigawatt-hours of gas per day.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Both Elering and Gasgrid said that consumers in Estonia and Finland are receiving gas from other sources.

In an updated statement, Gasgrid said is has now assessed the extent of the gas leak and will “report the results after they are confirmed to the environmental authorities in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act”.