CCB position on gas leaks from Nord Stream 1 and 2

CCB • September 30, 2022

The gas leak at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm. Photo: Danish Defence

Coalition Clean Baltic expresses serious concerns regarding factual massive release of greenhouse gas and other possible environmental consequences of the natural gas leakages that were detected by Danish and Swedish authorities from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on 27-28 September 2022.


With the information available at this point and risk assessment from EIA Reports of both pipelines, presented under the Espoo Convention consultations, the full volume of gas, being contained in the damaged pipelines may be released into marine environment and atmosphere.


In the worst case scenario, given pipeline dimensions in the project description (internal diameter 1,153 mm, length 1,220 km) the volume of one pipeline can be calculated as 1.27 million m3. At the settle out pressure of 165 bar, there will be the equivalent of 210 million m3 (at atmospheric pressure) or around 148,000 tons of gas in one enclosed pipeline. According to the EIA, the consequent environmental impacts can occur following the release of gas:


  • Emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere:
    Methane, equivalent to the release of 3.7 million tons of CO2 in terms of climate change potential
  • Impacts on water quality:
    Natural gas exhibits negligible solubility in water, and thus has little effect on water quality in the event of an underwater leak. The gas will rise to the water surface, from where it will be released into the atmosphere; the extent to which it dissipates depends on meteorological conditions and the weight of the gas in relation to the surrounding air. A short thermal impact (temperature drop to negative value caused by gas expansion, or Joule Thomson effect) may occur in the surrounding water. Another possible impact on water quality from an accidental pipeline rupture and gas release is a possible updraft of bottom water. This could cause bottom water to be mixed with surface water, with an impact on salinity, temperature and oxygen conditions.
  • Impacts on fish, marine mammals and birds:
    All marine organisms (benthic fauna, fish, marine mammals and birds) within the gas plume or the subsequent gas cloud will die or flee from the influenced area, which subsequently could impact the designation basis of protected areas (including Natura 2000 sites). The impact will be of limited time and space. 

Besides the expert assessment of higher than estimated in EIA climate impacts (up to 14.3 million tons of CO2-equivalent over a 100-year timeframe), the identified leaks are located in or near the only cod spawning area we have in the Eastern Baltic Sea. Hence the event can cause considerable harm/mortality to the young fish recently born in the area, as well as physical and physiological damage (incl. gas bubble disease), spatial disturbance, etc. To monitor the environmental consequences of this unprecedented situation, all EU Member States being HELCOM Contracting Parties in the area should swiftly deploy instruments to measure the status in relation to e.g. salinity, oxygen and pH. Such equipment could be placed around the perimeter of the incident areas to measure if methane leak has further away effects.

Model prepared by Sabine Eckhardt, NILU.

We also herewith inquire that a transparent information process should be established by respective EU Member States being HELCOM Contracting Parties to keep the public aware of environmental impacts of the accident and their implications for future environmental efforts as well as their consequences on climate and health of the Baltic Sea. Respective HELCOM subsidiary bodies, i.e. STATE & CONSERVATION, RESPONSE and PRESSURE should be involved.


NOTES

- Full letter sent to HELCOM on 29 September 2022

- Media release: ICOS measurements show huge methane peaks in the atmosphere after Nord Stream leak (30 September 2022)

- Danish Energystyrelsen PR (28 September 2022)

- Reuters' article (26 September 2022)

- CCB Save Kurgalskiy campaign: https://www.ccb.se/save-kurgalskiy

- Espoo Report on Nord Stream 2 ( April 2017)

- Environmental Study: Pipeline System on the Swedish Continental Shelf Nord Stream AG – (October 2008)

CCB is looking for a Network Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat

By CCB • April 9, 2025
Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 27 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden.

Attacks on NGOs: 570+ Organisations Join Forces to Defend Civil Society

By CCB • April 7, 2025
European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. Spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles that attempted to clarify this misleading narrative. European CSOs are crucial to ensure the voices of citizens from different parts of Europe are heard in the EU institutions. Attacks against civil society are unfortunately not new and are exacerbated by this harmful idea. Furthermore, for-profit corporate lobbying is through the roof when compared to non-profit advocacy. In 2024, the 50 corporations with the largest lobbying budgets collectively spent nearly €200 million on lobbying the EU alone (66% more than in 2015). Comparing this to the funding environmental NGOs receive under the LIFE programme - €15.6 million annually of a €700 million yearly budget - truly shows the weakness of this ‘scandal’. This is why over 570 civil society organisations from 40 countries, including all EU Member States, have joined forces to call on those in power to act now and ensure that civil society is adequately funded and enabled to share our crucial perspectives . In this statement, we address: The source of this false narrative; Inaccurate claims made about how CSOs obtain and use funding; Why it’s paramount that CSOs receive sufficient funding; The need for civil dialogue to enable CSOs participation. Democracy is about the right of citizens to be collectively heard for building an inclusive society and a shared European future; properly funded independent CSOs are a crucial tool for that. We call on decision-makers to ensure civil society organisations can thrive and play their role in interacting with policy-makers in order to have a more fully informed decision-making process. Read the full statement here . -END Civil Society Europe (CSE) is the coordination of civil society organisations at EU level. Through its membership, CSE unites EU-level membership-based organisations that reach out to millions of people active in or supported by not-for-profits and civil society organisations across the EU. CSE was created by several civil society organisations as a follow-up to the European Year of Citizens and was established as an international not-for-profit under Belgian law in 2016. Since then, it has become the point of reference for EU institutions on transversal issues concerning civil dialogue and civic space.