Russian gas flows resume via second Nord Stream pipeline after six-day halt

London (Platts)--12 Nov 2015 803 am EST/1303 GMT

* Closure had no impact on overall Nord Stream exports
* Deliveries through first line at 54.76 mil cu m on Weds
* Second line halted on November 6 for safety reasons


Gas flows through one of the two lines that make up the Nord Stream pipeline network from Russia to Germany resumed Thursday after work to remove a piece of munitions discovered near the line offshore Sweden was completed, Nord Stream said.

The second pipeline was shut on November 6 for "safety reasons" after the munitions were found during a routine survey operation.

The closure had little impact on overall flows through Nord Stream, however, which since the start of the gas year on October 1 have averaged 56.62 million cu m, according to data from Platts analytics unit Eclipse Energy.

Flows through the first line on Wednesday were 54.76 million cu m, only slightly down on the 55.72 million cu m flowed on November 5, the day before the closure of the second line, the data showed.

The total capacity of the two lines is around 150 million cu m/d -- or 55 Bcm/year.

Nord Stream said the Swedish Armed Forces completed the removal of the object safely "despite windy conditions in the Baltic Sea."

"Line 2, which had been closed at inlet as a precautionary measure, was reopened and resumed gas transportation," Nord Stream said.

"The prompt and safe resolution of the situation with the unusual find confirms the efficiency of the operational structures and interfaces with authorities established by Nord Stream for ensuring reliable gas transport," it said.

The object was in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) approximately 120 km from the island of Gotland.

--Stuart Elliott, stuart.elliott@platts.com
--Edited by James Leech, james.leech@platts.com

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