Balticconnector gas pipeline back in operation after damage
Finland has said it held constructive talks with China over the incident and that Chinese authorities had promised full cooperation in the pipeline probe.
A Baltic Sea gas pipeline that was torn apart last year in an incident still under police investigation has resumed commercial operation as planned after months of repair, operator Gasgrid Finland said on Monday.
The Balticconnector subsea gas link between Estonia and Finland was severely damaged in October along with three telecoms cables, hurting energy security and raising alarm bells in the wider region. "I can already confirm that Balticconnector is operating normally," Gasgrid executive Janne Gronlund told Reuters.
Some 60 gigawatt hours of natural gas would flow from Finland to Estonia on Monday, he added. Finnish police have
named the Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear container ship as the prime suspect in causing the damage, saying last year it was too early to tell if this was an accident or a deliberate act.
A large anchor, believed to belong to the Chinese vessel, was found near the pipeline, and the investigators said the pipe and the telecoms cables were likely broken as the anchor was dragged across the sea bed. Finland has said it held constructive
talks with China over the incident and that Chinese authorities had promised full
cooperation in the pipeline probe.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ALSO READ
Philippines summons Chinese diplomat over South China Sea flare-up
Philippines summons Chinese diplomat over South China Sea flare-up
Hong Kong stocks extend rally as Fed's less hawkish than feared tone
BRIEF-Orsted Not Currently Planning To Use Chinese Wind Turbines, CEO Says
MEA lodges protest with Chinese government over infrastructure construction in Shaksgam Valley