Possible environmental impacts of the Nord Stream Project

1
Possible environmental impacts of the Nord Stream
Project

• Urmas Lips
• Marine Systems Institute
• Tallinn University of Technology

2
Contents

• Baltic Sea ecosystem, its vulnerability
• Baltic Sea Action Plan
• Nord Stream Project and EIA
• Environmental impact during the construction
  phase
• Possible impacts during the operational phase
• Possible leakages of gas from the pipeline
• a small and long-term leakage
• an abrupt blowout of the pipeline
• Conclusions

3
Baltic Sea ecosystem

• The Baltic Sea is globally a unique, sensitive,
  northern brackish-water ecosystem, with a mixture
  of species found in oceans and freshwaters
• It has restricted water exchange with the North
  Sea residence time of water 20-30 years
• Strong vertical stratification, oxygen depletion
  in the near bottom layer
• Low number of species
• The Baltic Sea ecosystem is under high
  anthropogenic pressure

4
Oxygen conditions
HELCOM
5
Blooms of cyanobacteria
6
Reduced water clarity
7
Oil transportation
HELCOM
8
Pollution event, 5 March 2006
Cargo ship RUNNER 4, sailing behind icebreaker,
got collision from the following ship and sank, gt
100 tons fuel oil onboard
Elken, 2006
9
Baltic Sea Action Plan

• HELCOM is preparing a Baltic Sea Action Plan to
  ensure that every possible step is taken to
  improve the state of the Baltic Sea
• Key issues requiring action
• Eutrophication
• Hazardous substances
• Maritime activities
• Biodiversity

10
Baltic Sea Action Plan

• Vision
• A healthy Baltic Sea environment, with diverse
  biological components functioning in balance,
  resulting in a good ecological status and
  supporting a wide range of sustainable human
  economic and sustainable activities
• Goals
• A Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication
• Marine life undisturbed by hazardous substances
• Favorable status of the Baltic Sea biodiversity
• Maritime activities in the Baltic Sea carried out
  in an environmentally friendly way
• Zero discharges from offshore platforms

11
Nord Stream Project

• Nord Stream is a 1200-kilometre-long off-shore
  natural gas pipeline stretching through the
  Baltic Sea, from Vyborg, Russia to Greifswald,
  Germany which is to be built by Nord Stream AG
• Nord Stream is scheduled to begin operation
  in 2010. The second pipeline is planned to come
  on stream in 2012.
• The transport capacity will be around 55 billion
  cubic meters a year.

12
Nord Stream Project - construction
13
Nord Stream Project -construction
14
Waters where World War II chemical munitions were
dumped, HELCOM, 1-2/2006 Newsletter
15
Contents
Missiaen, T. Henriet, J.P. (Eds.), 2002.
Chemical munition dump sites in coastal
environments. Proceedings of the workshop on
"Chemical munition dump sites in coastal
environments" (July 2001, Gent), OSTC, Brussels,
167 pp.
16
Cs-137 in bottom sediments
HELCOM
17
Internal phosphorus load study area
18
Temperature section 25 July 2006
Tallinn
Helsinki
19
Phosphate-phosphorus concentration (µmol/l) 25
July 2006
Tallinn
Helsinki
20
Temperature section 8 August 2006
Tallinn
Helsinki
21
Phosphate-phosphorus concentration (µmol/l) 8
August 2006
Tallinn
Helsinki
22
Nord Stream Project - operation

• During the operational phase all precautionary
  means have to be applied in order to eliminate
  possible leakage of gas from the pipeline.
• The average incident frequency on European gas
  pipelines equals 0.17 per 1000 km per year
  according to the 6th European Gas Pipeline
  Incident Data Group Report.
• Leakages can be small and long-term leakages or
  an abrupt blowout of the pipeline.

23
Nord Stream Project - operation
24
Nord Stream Project - operation
HELCOM Snapshot of ships traffic in the Baltic
25
Number of shipping accidents
HELCOM
26
Nord Stream Project - operation

• If a small and long-term leakage takes place the
  monitoring methods must ensure its detection
  before we see its toxic effects on marine biota.
  An operational monitoring program with on-line
  information delivery system must be established
  for that purpose.
• Mathematical modeling has to be used to assess
  impacts of an abrupt blowout of the pipeline.
  Consequences such a disaster depend on amount of
  gas, its toxicity and energy involved in the
  release, transmission and dispersion of gas in
  the sea water, proximity to sensitive areas and
  population etc.
• An accident management plan must be developed and
  agreed on an international forum.

27
Conclusions

• Vulnerability of the Baltic Sea ecosystem is
  well-known (due to natural conditions and
  anthropogenic pressure).
• Therefore, before the implementation of Nord
  Stream Project a comprehensive environmental
  impact assessment (EIA) has to be carried out,
  where all alternative ways of gas transportations
  and cumulative impacts must be addressed.
• Although the planned route is laid outside of the
  Estonian coastal waters, the minimum distance to
  the our EEZ is only 500 meters and therefore the
  EIA has to consider all possible threats to the
  ecosystem in the waters under Estonian
  jurisdiction.

28
Conclusions

• The major environmental impact during the
  construction phase is expected in the shallow
  coastal areas of Russia and Germany. Due to the
  inclined isopycnals the impact may occur also in
  the western part of Gulf of Finland.
• Other aspects like dumped chemical munitions,
  radioactive and other harmful substances,
  construction of the second pipeline when the
  first one is in operation have to be considered
  as well.
• During the operational phase all precautionary
  means have to be applied in order to eliminate
  possible leakage of gas from the pipeline.

29
Conclusions

• Since the planned Nord Stream pipeline coincides
  with the main shipping route in the Gulf of
  Finland and according to the latest HELCOM data
  shipping accidents in the Baltic Sea is doubled
  in 2004-2005 if compared to the earlier years,
  the operators and authorities must have proper
  monitoring and action plans in relation to
  possible gas leakages.
• Although natural gas is considered as an
  environmentally more friendly energy source (if
  compared to oil), the planned pipeline is a
  totally new factor that could influence the
  Baltic Sea ecosystem.
• Therefore, the EIA and related public hearings
  are very crucial elements in the process of
  implementation of planned Nord Stream Project.