Russia is burning about 10 million euros a day of gas that it could send to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, reveals a Rystad Energy consultancy report.
satellite images of the Portovaya natural gas plantnear the Russian border with Finland, show high levels of heat since July 11, which, according to experts, are the mark of that hydrocarbon burning.
The situation has come to light after Finnish citizens began to glimpse large flames on the horizon a few weeks ago, details the consultancy, which warns that burning represents an “environmental disaster”by emitting about 9,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every day.
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“The exact volume of combustion is difficult to quantify, but it is believed to be around 4.34 million cubic meters (of gas) per day,” Sindre Knutsson, chief analyst for Gas Markets at Rystad, told Efe today. Energy.
The experts admit the possibility that the gas flaring is “linked to pre-operational tests at Prtovaya”, but stress that their findings “lead to many questions about Russia’s intentions”, given that this scenario coincides with a 77% drop. of Russian gas exports to Europe in the 12 months leading up to August, which equals 20% of the demand of the European Union (EU).
“While the exact reasons for the burn are unknown, the volume, emissions and location of the flare are a visible reminder of Russia’s dominance of Europe’s energy markets,” Knutsson said.
The fall in supply and the fear of even greater cuts this winter has led Brussels to urge the 27 member countries to cut gas consumption by up to 15% until March 2023 to try to ensure that reserves will be sufficient.
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The Portovaya plant is a liquefaction facility being built by Gazprom northwest of St. Petersburg. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, its purpose was to export excess Russian gas to Europe.
“The blazes in Portovaya started on July 11, 2022the date Gazprom began maintenance on Nord Stream 1, and have continued despite operations partially resuming on July 21,” the report said.
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