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Russia

is

burning about 10 million euros a day of gas

that it could send to

Europe

through the

Nord Stream 1

pipeline , according to a report by consultancy

Rystad Energy

.

Satellite images of the

Portovaya natural gas plant

, near the Russian border with

Finland

, show

high levels of heat since July 11

that, according to experts, are the footprint of that burning of hydrocarbons.

The situation has come to light after

Finnish citizens began to glimpse large flares

on the horizon a few weeks ago, details the consultancy, which warns that

the burning represents an "environmental disaster"

,

emitting about 9,000 tons of CO2

to the atmosphere every day.

"The exact volume of combustion is difficult to quantify, but it is believed to

be around 4.34 million cubic meters (of gas) per day ,"

Sindre Knutsson

, chief analyst for Gas Markets at Rystad

, told Efe today .

Energy.

The experts admit the possibility that the gas flaring is "linked to pre-operational tests at Prtovaya", but stress that their findings

"lead to many questions about Russia's intentions"

, given that this scenario coincides with a 77% drop. of Russian gas exports to Europe in the 12 months prior to August, which is equivalent to 20% of the demand of the European Union (EU).

"While the exact reasons for the burn are unknown, the volume, emissions and location of the flare are a visible reminder of Russia's dominance of Europe's energy markets," Knutsson said.

The

fall in supply and the fear of

even greater cuts this winter has led Brussels to urge the 27 member countries to

cut gas consumption by up to 15% until March 2023

to try to ensure that reserves will be sufficient.

The

Portovaya plant

is a liquefaction facility being built by

Gazprom

northwest of

Saint Petersburg

.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, its purpose was to export excess Russian gas to Europe.

"The flares at Portovaya began on July 11, 2022, the date Gazprom began maintenance on Nord Stream 1, and have continued despite operations partially resuming on July 21," the report said.

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