A gas pipeline and data cable connecting Finland and Estonia under the Baltic Sea were damaged on Sunday by “external mechanical activity”, according to Helsinki, raising concerns about the security of energy supplies in the region, Reuters reported.

Finnish President Sauli Niiniste announced on Tuesday that the leak from the pipeline that caused it to shut down on Sunday was likely “the result of external activity”.

Finland’s neighbor Norway is the largest exporter of natural gas in Europe, exporting more than 120 billion cubic meters of gas in 2022.

The Nordic country exports its gas through a network of underwater pipelines to consumers such as the UK and Germany. In addition, it transports liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Reuters gives us a look at Norway’s export routes:

How many pipes are there?

Last year, Norway transported 116.9 billion cubic meters of gas to the European Union and Great Britain through a pipeline system of more than 8,800 km, made up of 22 separate pipelines operated by Gassco.

In addition, gas produced from the Alvheim and Martin Linge fields is exported to the UK via pipelines operated by other operators.

The SAGE pipeline, which transports gas from Alvheim, is operated by Ancala Midstream, while the FUKA pipeline, which transports gas from Martin Linge, is operated by North Sea Midstream Partners.

Who gets Norwegian gas?

The pipelines connect to seven receiving terminals: two each in Great Britain and Germany, and one each in Belgium, Denmark and France.

The Easington terminal on the east coast of England receives gas through the Langeled pipeline, while the St Fergus terminal in Scotland connects to the Flags and Vesterled pipelines.

The German terminals in Dornum and Emden, located along the North Sea coast near the Dutch border, connect to Europepe I and II and Norpipe respectively.

In Belgium, a terminal in the port of Zeebrugge connects to the Zeepipe pipeline, and gas from the Franpipe pipeline flows to a terminal in Dunkirk, France.

From 2022, the Nybro terminal on the west coast of Denmark receives Norwegian gas via the Baltic Pipe, which crosses Denmark and then continues underwater to Poland.

Does Norway export LNG?

Norway also operates a liquefaction terminal in the Arctic city of Hammerfest, also known as Melkoya.

It can supply 6.5 billion cubic meters of LNG per year, which is about 5% of Norway’s gas exports.

Exports from the terminal were only 3.7 billion cubic meters in 2022 as the plant was shut down until the end of May following a fire in September 2020.

Despite the fact that LNG tankers can expand the access of Norwegian gas beyond Europe, in 2022 almost all exports went to Europe.

Who produces gas in Norway?

The country has attracted international companies, including Wintershall Dea, TotalEnergies, ConocoPhillips and Shell.

However, the biggest player is Equinor, most of which is owned by the Norwegian state. This produced more than 45 billion cubic meters of natural gas, about 36% of Norway’s total production of 123.8 billion cubic meters in 2022.

Equinor also sells gas on behalf of Petoro, a wholly-owned company that owns interests in offshore fields but does not manage any assets itself.