How a small pipeline crack sent European wholesale gas prices soaring 

That an issue with a small pipeline could cause such a big impact underscores the influence Norway now has on Europe’s energy security

Small outages in gas supply can send European prices soaring. File picture: Sergei Supinsky/AFP

Urgent repairs to a pipe on a gas platform in Norway are under way but the event served as a grim reminder that small outages can send European prices soaring.

Helicopters carrying equipment and engineers have arrived at the Sleipner platform 250km off the coast of Norway to repair a small crack in a pipeline that is the width of golf ball. The field’s riser platform is a key connection point in Europe’s gas network.