Russia is burning $10 million worth of gas every day instead of selling it to Europe

Europe, News August 27, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Russia is wasting large volumes of gas instead of selling it to Europe which is facing a severe energy crisis.

Flaring or burning of excessive natural gas is a common practice in the oil and gas industry but Russian plants are burning unusually large volumes of gas every day. Experts of an Oslo-based energy research institute, Rystad Energy, claim that Russia is burning an estimated $10 million worth of gas every day instead of selling it to Europe.

According to experts, burned gas was previously exported to Europe, however, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has increased sanctions on Russia’s gas exports, Russian energy plants have no choice other than to burn the gas into the atmosphere.

Satellite images of Russia’s Portovaya plant, the site of the compressor station for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline near the Russia-Finland border, show a large flare of fire as a result of burning large volumes of gas.

Russia has cut 20% flow of the Nord Stream 1 citing ‘turbine maintenance’ and plans to pull the plug of its gas supplies to Europe in the coming winter plunging the region into a severe energy crisis. 40% of the European gas came from Russia before the Russia-Ukraine was started in February 2022. Many European countries are seeking alternative means of energy supply before the winter. The EU accuses Russia of using its gas supplies as a weapon to fight against Western sanctions.

The scientists and experts at the Norwegian institute Rystad Energy are speculating that Russia is burning at least 4.34 million cubic tons of gas every day.

“Exact flaring volumes levels are hard to quantify but are believed to be at levels of around 4.34 million cubic meters per day. This equates to 1.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) on an annualized basis and is equal to around 0.5% of the EU’s gas demand needs,” the report highlighted.

*^{The Portovaya compressor station in Russia pumps gas into Nord Stream. (Image Credit: Gazprom)}*

The large-scale flaring was first reported by some Finnish citizens living close to the Russian border. Scientists are concerned that the amount of carbon dioxide and soot produced by the flaring at the Portovaya plant would leave disastrous impacts on the atmosphere near the plant. “The flaring is an environmental disaster with around 9,000 tonnes of CO2 being emitted daily,” Rystad report said.

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Russia’s largest gas supplier Gazprom has cut 13% of its exports to Europe since the start of this year which accounts for more than 275 billion cubic meters. The company’s gas exports outside the former Soviet Union have declined by over 36% to 78.5 billion cubic meters amid the standoff with the West over Ukraine.