HELSINKI, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The natural gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia was temporarily closed Sunday following a suspected leak, the Finnish operator Gasgrid Finland reported.
Gasgrid Finland said the state of the Finnish gas network is stable, and the causes of the leak are being investigated. Finland, during this break, relies on the liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal near Helsinki.
Olli Sipila, CEO of Gasgrid Finland, did not want to speculate on what could have caused a leak. He told national broadcaster Yle on Sunday that there had been no damage or malfunctions in the pipeline earlier. Currently, the possibility of a leak is a suspicion, he said.
The pipeline, inaugurated in 2019, is a two-way transfer facility operated jointly by Finnish Gasgrid and Estonian Elering. The Baltic Connector gives Finland access to continental gas stockpiles via Estonia and connects Estonia to the large LNG port in Inkoo, southern Finland, for feeds to Estonia. The pipeline crosses the approximately 100-km-wide Gulf of Finland.
In Finland, natural gas is primarily utilized for industrial purposes, district heating, and electricity generation. According to industry reports, the share of natural gas as an energy source amounts to 5 percent of Finnish energy consumption.
