Europe may be in a permanent energy crisis as prices skyrocket, but Russia burns large amounts of natural gas, reports the BBC.

According to the report, the plant near the Finnish border burns about $10 million worth of natural gas every day. In particular, according to an analysis by Rstad Energy, about 4.34 million cubic meters of natural gas are burned daily. This is a gas that was previously exported to Germany.

Scientists are concerned that the high levels of carbon dioxide and soot released when natural gas is burned could exacerbate Arctic ice melt.

Natural gas comes from a new LNG plant in Portovaya, northwest of St. Petersburg. The first signs that something was wrong were noticed by Finnish citizens near the border, who this summer saw large flames on the horizon.

Portovaya is located next to the compressor station at the beginning of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, through which gas is delivered to Germany under the sea. Deliveries through the pipeline have been cut off since mid-July, with the Russians citing technical problems related to reduced flows. Germany says this is a purely political move.

But since June, researchers have noticed a significant increase in the object’s heat output, which is believed to be due to the burning of natural gas.

While flaring of associated gas in processing plants is common (usually for technical or safety reasons), experts cannot explain the scale of this flaring.

Mark Davies, managing director of flaring solutions specialist Capterio, says the fire is not accidental and is most likely caused by site-related causes. Managers of such facilities are often reluctant to close them, fearing that their restoration will be technically difficult or expensive. This is probably what is happening at Portovaya, he says.

Others believe that there may be technical difficulties in managing the large volumes of natural gas supplied through the Nord Stream pipeline. It is possible that Gazprom intended to use the gas to produce LNG at the new plant, but it may have had problems handling it, and the safer option was to set fire to it.

Another explanation could be that the Russians do not have enough equipment and because of the sanctions they cannot get it. It is possible that some valves are broken and cannot be replaced.