Fire breaks out during maintenance work on the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod pipeline, which connects Russian gas fields to western Ukraine. Before rescue workers can extinguish the gas flame at the scene of the accident, three people die.
In Russia, at least three people died in an explosion on a gas pipeline important for exports to Europe. The workers died in a “violent ignition of gas” while working on the line, said the President of the Russian republic of Chuvashia, Oleg Nikolayev, on the Russian television channel Rossia 24. The fire broke out on a section of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod- pipeline linking northern Russian gas fields with the city of Uzhhorod in western Ukraine.
The line, which opened in Soviet times, is also known as the Brotherhood Pipeline. It is of central importance for the export of Russian natural gas to Europe. According to local rescue workers, the fire broke out during scheduled maintenance work near the village of Jambachtino, about 600 kilometers east of Moscow, and is now under control. The gas flame at the scene of the accident had been extinguished, the Chuvash Ministry for Disaster Management said in the Telegram online service.
In recent months, Russia has restricted its gas supplies to Europe in retaliation for Western sanctions over the military offensive in Ukraine – fueling fears of energy shortages in European countries. Nevertheless, the EU states agreed on Monday to limit the gas price in European wholesale under certain conditions if it exceeds 180 euros per megawatt hour at the TTF trading venue. If the mechanism is triggered, the price is capped at a maximum of 35 euros per megawatt hour above the international price for liquefied natural gas (LNG). The project basically affects major customers who trade on the TTF – not end consumers, such as the gas price brake of the federal government.