(ANSA) – ROME, AUGUST 26 – While energy costs in European countries skyrocket, Russia is burning large quantities of natural gas in its Portovaya plant, near the Finnish border: this is what emerges from an analysis of the company Norwegian Rystad Energy shared with the BBC.
The British broadcaster today publishes some images of the large flames rising from the plant, including one in color taken from a satellite showing the infrared radiation caused by the combustion of the gas.
According to some experts, the burning gas was destined to be exported to Germany and every day it goes up in smoke gas worth 10 million dollars (about 10 million euros). Rystad Energy estimates that approximately 4.34 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are burned per day at the plant north-west of St. Petersburg.
Finnish citizens were the first to report that something was wrong, after noticing a large flame on the horizon in early summer. Portovaya, the BBC explains, is located near a compression station at the start of the Nordstream 1 pipeline, which carries gas under the sea to Germany. Supplies through the pipeline were cut in mid-July, and Moscow attributed the reduction to technical problems. Germany, for its part, argues that this is a political move linked to the invasion of Ukraine.
Since June, a notable increase in heat emanating from the plant has been noted, probably caused by the combustion of natural gas. Although the practice of burning excess gas is common in processing plants – usually for technical or safety reasons, the broadcaster explains – what is happening in Portovaya surprises experts. According to Mark Davis, CEO of a company in the sector (Capterio), the decision to burn the gas is probably linked to operational reasons. “Operators often hesitate to shut down plants for fear that it may be technically difficult or expensive to restart them – he commented – and this is probably the case”. (HANDLE).
Source: Ansa
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