Ukraine can relaunch gas transmission through a segment of pipeline near the village of Chabany in Kyiv Oblast after an explosion tore through the pipe, forcing the country to divert gas deliveries.
The segment of pipeline has been “renewed for transporting gas” as the work to eliminate the effects of the depressurization continues, the State Emergency Service stated on the morning of Sept. 18.
The explosion of the high-pressure gas pipeline took place at 12:20 a.m. on Sept. 15, but did not stop Ukraine’s transit of gas to the EU, the Gas Transmission Operator of Ukraine confirmed the same day.
The 1,020-meter pipeline is used to transport gas from production facilities in the eastern regions of Ukraine to underground gas storage complexes near Ukraine’s western border with the European Union.
“In the area of Chabany village, a gas pipe with a diameter of 1.5 meters, which pumps gas to Europe, burst out in the field,” the Kyiv Oblast police announced after the blast occurred. The reason behind the incident remains unknown and is currently under investigation.
An hour after the explosion, the leak was localized with the help of Ukraine’s special emergency units by disconnecting the damaged section from the gas pipeline and temporarily suspending the gas flow.
“Appropriate switching to other gas pipelines was promptly organized, so gas transportation to consumers was not interrupted,” the Gas Transmission Operator of Ukraine said on its website.
Transit gas
In 2019, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a new transit deal that guarantees Ukraine’s intermediary role in the export of Russian gas for the next four years.
During the January-August period of this year, Ukraine transported a total of 34.8 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to European states with the help of its vast network of pipelines and large storage facilities. The amount transported, however, was a 42% drop from the same period in 2019.
According to the Gas Transmission Operator of Ukraine, the transit reduction occurred due the completion of TurkStream in January — a pipeline that transports Russian gas to Balkan states via Turkey.
Furthermore, Russia has been actively working to bypass Ukraine’s transit system with the construction of another pipeline, Nord Stream 2. The new route looks to circumvent Ukrainian territory and deliver Russian gas directly to Germany and other European partners, meaning Ukraine could potentially lose out on about $3 billion annually in transit fees if the project succeeds.
Critics of Nord Stream 2 also warn that the pipeline would give unchecked power to Moscow over European gas policies. In 2019, Washington responded by slapping sanctions on any firm that helps Russia’s state-owned gas company, Gazprom, finish the pipeline into the European Union.
Although the U.S. sanctions have managed to push back the finish line for the pipline, the project’s status is described to be 94% complete. On July 6, Demark gave Russia the green light to proceed with the remaining work in Danish waters, leading analysts to conclude that Nord Stream 2 will likely be completed in the near future.
The recent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny on Aug. 20 has intensified calls on Germany — a keen supporter of the project — to declare a moratorium on the Nord Stream 2. Additionally, the U.S. is looking to bolster its existing sanctions on the nearly-completed pipeline in a race against time.
