As energy costs soar in Europe, images suggest Russia is flaring off vast amounts of its natural gas, which would otherwise have been exported. Since the beginning of the summer, residents of Finland have been able to see a large flame burning from neighboring Russia’s large natural gas plant northwest of Saint Petersburg. Natural gas to the value of SEK 100 million a day seems to be literally going up in smoke. Russia has not said why, and scientists are worried.
– Because of the war in Ukraine, we get very little information about what is happening there, says Esa Vakkilainen, professor of sustainable energy systems. We can only speculate.
Russia has cut off the supply of natural gas via the adjacent Nordstream 1 by as much as 80 percent since the war in Ukraine began. The British BBC reports that Germany believes that it is a Russian reaction to all the sanctions imposed by Europe.
In the clip above: See the images believed to show Russia flaring up important natural gas