- Matt Magrath
- BBC environment correspondent
4 hours ago
Color version of a satellite image of rays from gas combustion at the Portovaya station
While energy prices in Europe are skyrocketing, Russia is burning large quantities of natural gas – according to analysis obtained by the BBC.
Experts say that the gas in question was supposed to be exported to Germany.
These experts add that a facility near the border with Finland burns an estimated $10 million worth of gas every day.
Scientists are concerned about large amounts of carbon dioxide and soot from burning the gas, which would cause the polar ice to melt more frequently.
Experts at Rystad Energy indicate that about 4.34 million cubic meters of gas are flared every day.
Smoke billows from a new liquefied natural gas plant in the Portovaya region northwest of St. Petersburg.
A Finnish citizen noticed earlier this summer that something abnormal was related to the huge clouds of smoke emanating from the gas station near the border.
Portovaya is located not far from a compressor station at the start of the Nordstream 1 pipeline, which carries undersea gas to Germany.
Supplies via Nordstream 1 have been reduced since mid-July. Russia says that technical problems stand behind this, while Germany says that it is a purely political step that came after the step of Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory.
But since June, researchers have noticed a significant increase in the amount of heat released by the facility – which is believed to be caused by the gas flaring, and the flaring of natural gas.
It is noteworthy that gas flaring in treatment plants is a common occurrence, and is usually carried out for technical and security reasons. But this scale of arson has left experts confused.
“I’ve never seen an LNG plant fire that much gas,” says Jessica McCarty, a researcher at the University of Miami.
Jessica adds: “It started in June, and since then we have seen this huge amount of fire that does not go away, but stays in place, recording high altitudes.”
photo released, ARI WAVE
This photo was taken by a Finnish citizen named Ari Lin on July 24 from a distance of about 38 kilometers from the Portovaya facility.
Mark Davies, CEO of gas flaring consultancy Captrio, says that flaring is not an accident. Rather, it came as a result of a deliberate decision, most likely for operational reasons.
“Operators are often very reluctant to make an actual decision to close facilities for fear of technical difficulties or the high cost of starting over, and I suspect that is the case here,” Mark tells the BBC.
Others believe that there may be technical challenges in dealing with the huge volumes of gas that were to be pumped through the Nordstream pipeline.
Perhaps the Russian energy company Gazprom was supposed to use this gas to produce LNG at the new plant, but it encountered problems during the process and the safest solution to these problems was to ignite the gas.
It could also be what happened as a result of the trade embargo that Europe imposed with Russia in response to the latter’s invasion of Ukraine.
“This kind of long-term ignition could indicate a lack of equipment,” said Esa Vakilinen, professor of energy engineering at Finland’s Lappeenranta University.
“Therefore, due to the ban on trade with Russia, they are unable to produce the high-quality valves required in oil and gas processing operations. There may be broken valves that they cannot replace,” Vakilanen explains.
For its part, Gazprom – which owns the station – did not respond to requests for comment on the ignition at the station.
Scientists say the financial and environmental losses caused by this daily flare-up at the plant are huge.
“While the exact cause of the ignition is unknown, the amount of emissions and the location of the ignition are reminiscent of Russia’s sway in European energy markets,” says Sindra Knutsan, of Rystad Energy.
And Knutsan adds: “There is no evidence from this that Russia can lower energy prices tomorrow if it wanted. And here is the gas that was supposed to be exported via Nordstream 1 or something else.”
Energy prices around the world witnessed a sharp rise in conjunction with the lifting of restrictions that were imposed during the outbreak of Covid and the return of economies to normal conditions.
This was accompanied by a huge demand for energy, causing unprecedented pressures on the supply chain.
And again last February prices rose, but this time due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
European governments have been looking for ways to reduce their energy imports from Russia, which used to provide 40 percent of the energy used in the European Union.
In light of this, the prices of alternative sources have risen in a way that forced many European countries, such as Germany and Spain, to take energy-saving measures.
photo released, ELMER RASI
Smoke and orange light from gas flaring in Portovaya can be seen to the left of a photo taken by a vacationer while on vacation.
The environmental effects of gas combustion at the plant are worrying scientists.
Researchers warn of methane, which enters into the gas components, as one of the active ingredients in causing climate change.