Nord Stream AG has begun appraising the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea and restoring gas flow, the New York Times reported, citing a source.
According to the source, one repair estimate puts the cost at $500 mln. The newspaper also says that consultants working for Russia are also studying how long the damaged pipes can withstand saltwater exposure.
In this respect, the newspaper raises the question of why Russia, if it bombed its own pipelines, as some Western countries claim, would begin the expensive work to repair them.
The newspaper notes that the gas pipelines had a lot of opponents in Europe itself, although the sabotage of such an important piece of energy infrastructure could be regarded as an act of war.
In an interview with the newspaper, Daniel Stenling, Sweden’s top counterintelligence official, said that Stockholm, which is conducting its own investigation into the incident, has "no concrete evidence" of anyone's guilt. "But hopefully we will," he added.
