Increased fears that Russia could disrupt British gas and power cuts have prompted national security officials to step up their scrutiny of key pipelines to Norway.
Monitoring and surveillance of maritime flights between Norway and the UK have increased in recent weeks, Whitehall sources have confirmed.
The RAF’s fleet of Poseidon P-8 maritime surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft at Lossiemouth now number nine and the US military has been stepping up there, adding nine more Poseidon P-8s with anti-submarine capabilities.
This move represents the first time since the Cold War that American aircraft have a presence in the country.
German Poseidon P-8s also recently operated out of Lossiemouth.
This aircraft is used for a variety of surveillance purposes, including monitoring all types of ships and submarines and radio traffic.
UK government security experts also attended industry meetings where senior officials briefed energy officials about emerging threats.
The measures follow a series of incidents in which ships controlled by Russia or its allies have been linked to damage to underwater infrastructure or suspected espionage.
Defense officials are concerned that Moscow could seek to target pipelines that carry around 42pc of Britain’s natural gas. The consequences of any successful attack would be devastating.
Vital subsea facilities are increasingly under scrutiny amid growing tensions between East and West. Last month a Chinese ship cut internet cables in the Baltic and, in one incident, Russian and Chinese ships were found hovering near a key pipeline. Two Baltic pipelines were cut by explosions, one in 2022 and the other last year.
Such incidents have raised concerns about similar dangers in the North Sea. Gassco, the Norwegian state company that owns the pipelines going to Britain, has warned that: “Events such as the explosion of Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 in 2022 and the Baltic Connector that happened in 2023 have nothing to do with the Norwegian policy. but still it caused the need for extra caution.
“Some measures have been taken to protect Norwegian facilities. Gassco has cooperated with the relevant authorities in this situation.
The UK is highly dependent on pipelines for electricity that run from Norway. The most important is the 1,116km Langeled pipeline, which runs from the Nyhamna gas processing plant on the Norwegian island of Gossa to the Easington gas terminal in Co Durham.
The pipeline, one of the longest in the world, transports up to 26bn cubic meters of gas to the UK every year – more than a third of the country’s annual consumption.
It measures just 44 centimeters in diameter and operates at a pressure of 250 atmospheres, meaning that any explosion would likely cause devastating damage.
Energy crisis is a disaster
The UK has limited natural gas reserves so if Langeled were to be decommissioned the country would have to rely on shipping liquefied natural gas and exporting it through other pipelines from Europe. No one works on the Langeled scale so an attack would likely cause a power problem.
Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, has ordered that Easington and other gas locks in the UK be controlled by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the UK’s only armed police, from next April. It’s another sign of growing concern about Britain’s energy crisis.
Armed police will patrol Easington and other gas stations from next April – Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
A spokesperson for National Gas, which is in charge of the high pressure gas network and everything, said it is preparing for such events.
They said: “The UK gas system is designed to be flexible and resilient, with a variety of supply sources, including UKCS, Norway, LNG, and interconnectors. We prepare for a range of scenarios and potential disruptions to any of these sources, to ensure that mitigation can be put in place if any issues arise.”
Mark Wilson, who works at OEUK, the trade body for UK offshore oil and gas operators, said the industry had increased safety measures.
He said: “We work with the OEUK Security Committee where the relevant government agencies provide briefs. The physical security of the coast and offshore energy are part of these commitments.”
Last week the UK, US and Norway conducted a joint air exercise around Norway in the high Arctic, including the deployment of the American U2 spy plane, the Norwegian Poseidon surveillance plane and warplanes from all three countries.
This activity is designed to detect, track and weaken the enemy’s target in a joint position.
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