Finland says 'outside activity' likely damaged gas pipeline, telecoms cable
By Anne Kauranen and Terje Solsvik
HELSINKI (Reuters) — A subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea have been damaged in what may have been a deliberate act, the Finnish government said on Tuesday.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO was sharing its information over the damage and stands ready to support the allies concerned. Finland joined the military alliance in April, while Estonia has been a member since 2004.
The Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut early on Sunday on concerns that gas was leaking from a hole in the 77-km (48-mile) pipeline. Finnish operator Gasgrid said it could take months or more to repair.
«It is likely that damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of outside activity. The cause of the damage is not yet clear, the investigation continues in cooperation between Finland and Estonia,» Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement on Tuesday.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the damage to the pipeline was «worrying», but that Finland's energy supply remained stable and that the damage to the telecommunications cable did not affect Finland's overall connectivity.
«It is too early to draw conclusions on who or what caused the damage,» Orpo told a press conference.
Gas account for 5% of Finland's energy supply, he added.
The Finnish bureau of investigation has initiated an investigation into the external damage to the pipeline.
«We are still verifying if the damage is caused deliberately or accidentally,» the bureau said, though it added that the size of the damage was such that it indicated deliberate action.
European gas prices rose on Tuesday afternoon following the news,
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