Russia burning Europe’s gas
Russia is burning gas, previously destined for Europe, every day at a plant close to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, according to analysis.
Experts said the release is unprecedented and that Russia could be burning the gas as it lacks enough storage to hold the backlog.
The huge flare has been burning at the new liquefied natural gas plant at Portovaya since June. The plant is situated near a compressor station at the start of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which transports gas under the sea to Germany.
Analysts from Rystad, an energy consultancy based in Norway, described it as an environmental disaster and estimated the amount of gas being burned off into the atmosphere was equivalent to about 0.5 per cent of daily EU needs.
The spectacular flare can be seen in satellite images of Portovaya.
Zongqiang Luo, a senior analyst at Rystad, said the move “tells Europe that Russia is willing to flare gas instead of sending it to European countries.”
“It’s a reminder about how dependent Europe has been and is on Russian gas,”
IT’S A REMINDER ABOUT HOW DEPENDENT EUROPE HAS BEEN AND IS ON RUSSIAN GAS.
he added. “We either must find new supply sources of gas or find new alternative energy sources.”
Supplies through Nord Stream 1 have been curtailed since mid-june in what Germany says is a political move following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia claims the decrease in supply is down to technical faults.
The flaring was first spotted when Finnish citizens caught sight of flames from beyond the border.
Researchers said they have witnessed a notable increase in heat from the facility.
Although the burning of gas is not unusual in such plants, the scale of the burning has puzzled experts.
Mark Davis, chief executive of Capterio, which provides gas flaring solutions for energy companies, believes the flaring could be the result of technical faults caused by the trade embargo in Europe that has left Russia unable to procure the necessary equipment to contain the gas.
The burning has raised concerns about energy prices and the potential environmental impact it could have on the Arctic.
This flare is releasing 9,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent every day and releasing black carbon.